SACRAMENTO, Calif. – After committing as a sophomore, St. Francis senior Mel Baccay will sign a National Letter-of-Intent to play at Michigan State on National Signing Day on Wednesday.

“They have a family aspect to the program,” said Baccay. “I’ve built a really strong relationship not only with the girls on the team but with my coaches.”

Baccay will play for Jacquie Joseph, who has led the Spartan program since 1994 and amassed over 700 career wins and made four NCAA regional appearances.

“I was looking for schools that met both my academics and athletics needs,” said Baccay. “Michigan State being part of the Big10 has great athletics with the resources to be successful academically.”

Baccay was named to the All-Delta League first team as a junior and was the team’s Most Inspirational Player. She hit .571 in league play (4th-best) and posted a .447 overall mark for the season with a team-best tying 30 RBI.  The St. Francis softball team advanced to the double-elimination second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs.

“My goals for high school ball is to step up way more than I have in the past,” said Baccay. “I want to work on my own skills while encouraging the other girls on the team so as a team we can be stronger.”

Baccay will be one of the senior leaders on the team in the spring and looks back on the relationships with her teammates.

“I’ve developed a lot of friendships with softball that I might not have otherwise,” said Baccay.

Baccay, who plans to study biology, originally committed to Michigan State in September of her sophomore year.

“I am so excited to sign,” said Baccay. “It has been so long. First there was the wait to get recruited and make a commitment, finding a school that is eight for me. Now that I have found it, making it official will make all the hard work worth it.”