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On Friday, Pike County High School held a signing ceremony for seniors Omari Barrow and Jada Duncan as they continue to pursue their athletic careers at the college level.

Barrow signed his college letter-of-intent with Paine College, becoming the first PCHS baseball player to sign with a college in at least a decade.

“The atmosphere there just felt like family,” Barrow said of Paine. “Whenever I visited their practices, it just had a good feel, a good fit for me. It felt like the right thing for me.”

Barrow, who also played quarterback for the Bulldogs, will play pitcher and outfielder in college. As a senior, Barrow boasted a .321 batting average at the plate with two doubles, a home run, 11 RBIs and 17 runs. As a pitcher, he earned a 3.500 ERA with 57 strikeouts, while also holding a .900 fielding percentage with 43 putouts, two assists and one double play. Barrow earned All-Messenger honors in baseball in 2023 and football in 2022.

Barrow said that after becoming a quarterback in high school he began to think about pursuing football in college but baseball was also his first love.

“First and foremost, I plan on getting my degree in psychology,” Barrow said of his college goals. “I just want to make an impact on the field and in the community. I’m ready for the season now.”

Duncan signed with Claflin University in South Carolina over offers from other schools like Shaw University and Tuskegee.

“I had like five or six offers but Claflin stuck out to me because I felt like – academically and athletically – it was the best fit for me,” she said of her decision. “I’m not paying anything for school and I have extra scholarships coming in, too. I just loved everything about the school; the coaches, the environment and everything.”

In 2023, Duncan earned All-Messenger honors and in 2024 she held a .471 batting average with two home runs, four doubles, one triple, 19 RBIs and 32 runs. Defensively, she earned an .881 fielding percentage with 33 putouts and four assists.

Duncan said she was ready to start her college softball career, where she will play in the outfield, but is already looking to the future outside of athletics.

“I want to go to school and major in computer engineering and become a technical sales engineer,” Duncan said of her goals. “I also plan have my own business. I’m going to get my license in eyebrow tech and have my own small business up there, while I’m in school.”