![Kaine Ellis (So) of Hernando hits a fly ball and makes it to second base. [Photo by Cynthia Leota]](https://www.hernandosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_9255.jpg "DSC_9255")
BROOKSVILLE — For Kaine Ellis, there were lots of options but only one clear choice.
The University of Richmond was the perfect fit on several levels. That’s why the Hernando High junior catcher has verbally committed to a scholarship to play baseball for the Spiders.
“I already knew they have great academics and a strong baseball program, but when I went up there for my visit, I loved the campus and the whole atmosphere and I knew it was the right place for me,” said Ellis, who visited the campus on Nov. 23. “Everything was right.”
East Carolina University, Jacksonville University and Florida Gulf Coast University were among the many other schools showing strong interest in Ellis, who has been a starter for the Leopards since his freshman season. But, in the end, it was Richmond’s balance of academics and athletics that made Ellis’ decision clear.
“I want to major in Business and they have one of the top Business programs in the country,” said Ellis, who is carrying a 4.3 weighted grade-point average at Hernando.
Richmond’s baseball program was equally attractive to Ellis. The Spiders play in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which prides itself on a strong mixture of academics and athletics and includes schools such as Virginia Commonwealth, Fordham, the University of Massachusetts, George Washington, Dayton and Saint Louis. The Spiders reached last season’s conference championship game before falling to VCU in their first year under coach Mik Aoki, who has more than 500 college wins under his belt.
Ellis said the presence of Aoki was a major reason why he chose Richmond. Aoki coached at Morehead State immediately before coming to Richmond. But it was one of Aoki’s previous stops that caught Ellis’ attention most. Aoki was the head coach at Notre Dame from 2010 through 2019 and he helped make the Fighting Irish highly competitive as they made the transition from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2015, Akoi took Notre Dame to its first NCAA Tournament since 2006.
“He’s a coach who’s been around the highest level of college baseball and he was at Notre Dame for a long time,” Ellis said. “I believe he’s the kind of coach who can help me reach my ultimate goal of playing in the major leagues.”
Aoki also previously was the head coach at Columbia and assistant head coach at Boston College. In all, more than 55 players coached by Aoki have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft and 15 of his pupils have made it to the big leagues.
“I think I can be a good fit at Richmond,” Ellis said. “They told me I’ll have a chance to play right away. I really felt comfortable with the coaches and the players when I was up there on my visit. They were doing their fall program and I could tell it was a very competitive atmosphere. I liked that a lot because I’m very competitive.”
But Ellis won’t be a freshman at Richmond until the 2026 Fall semester. In the meantime, there’s plenty of work left to do at Hernando, a place where Ellis already has accomplished a lot.
![Hernando High School’s catcher, Kaine Ellis, puts the tag on Nature Coast Tech's sliding Cashis Williams in the first inning during the 4A District 6 title game played at NCT. Photo by [Joseph Dicristofalo]](https://www.hernandosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_3332-Enhanced-NR-1024x974.jpg)
Ellis hasn’t disappointed. Instead, he’s already lived up to every expectation and his high school career is only halfway over. As a freshman, Ellis batted .426 and helped the Leopards reach the regional semifinals. As a sophomore, he hit .400 as the Leopards advanced to the regional finals. He already has 53 career runs batted in.
At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Ellis has been hitting the weight room hard this offseason in an attempt to add more power to his silky-smooth left-handed swing. With the added size and strength, Ellis is confident his final two seasons at Hernando will be even better than his first two.
“I have a lot of goals in my mind,” Ellis said. “I know the history of Hernando baseball and I want to set some records and be a part of the Hernando legacy. My sister (Savannah, a Hernando softball player who graduated in 2023) had 100 career hits and 100 career RBIs. I’d like to do that too. And I’d like to set some other records. But most importantly, I want to win a state championship. That would be a very special legacy.”
