On Tuesday night, Thomas Young became the first Panther Creek baseball player in school history to commit to a Division I college baseball program.

Chance Sheppard, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound catcher at Wilmington Ashley High, has committed to N.C. State. 

Kannapolis A.L. Brown athlete Damien Washington wasn't fazed by the turmoil surrounding the University of North Carolina football program and has given a commitment to the Tar Heels.

Washington plays slot receiver and running back for A.L. Brown and is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. First-year A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome said Washington obviously is aware of the changes and uncertainty at North Carolina after coach Butch Davis' firing July 27, but was ready to commit quickly after receiving a scholarship offer.

Newsome said Washington has always wanted to play at North Carolina. He is the first player to known to have given a new commitment (as opposed to re-affirming an existing commitment) to the Tar Heels and interim coach Everett Withers since Davis was fired.

It only took Raleigh Body of Christ junior Isaiah Hicks four hours Monday night to accept North Carolina’s scholarship offer.

“It was my dream school,” the 6-feet-9, 198-pound power forward said Tuesday, “So why wait?”

Hicks, who is originally from Oxford, is currently rated a five-star recruit, and the fifth-ranked power forward prospect in the Class of 2013 by scout.com. He becomes the first player to verbally commit to UNC in that class. A life-long Carolina fan, he was also being recruited by Clemson, N.C. State and Wake Forest, among others.

Top 25 basketball prospect Torian Graham has re-opened his college recruiting options.

Graham, a 6-4 guard from Durham, committed to N.C. State in May but has decided to back off his original decision.

"Nothing bad happened at State," said Graham, who's ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the country by ESPN. "I felt like I made my decision too fast and didn't give other colleges a chance to recruit me."

On the drive up to Winston-Salem on Sunday, Josh Banks was confident in how he wanted his trip to end.

Joe Mackey has become the third pitcher from Holly Springs' 4-A state champion baseball team to sign with a Division I baseball program.

Panther Creek's leading scorer from a year ago has made her college choice.

Panther Creek's Dan Beilinson, rated by Rivals.com as the best tight end in the state, gave his verbal committment to Duke on Sunday. As a junior last year, he caught 37 passes for 553 yards and two touchdowns.

Rising senior Kristen Gaffney, a girls basketball standout at Green Hope, is down to seven schools and should take at least one visit to each before making a final decision by July 30, according to her father.