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Mayben decides on W. Baptist By KRIS HENRY Nate Mayben was able to solidify his future and reclaim focus on the present with one swoop of the pen recently. The North Medford High senior signed a letter of intent March 3 to play baseball for Western Baptist College, enabling the two-time all-league infielder to concentrate solely on finishing his high school career in style. "I thought it would be nice if I could get it done with and get it off my back," Mayben says of the early signing. Mayben, 19, is slated to play shortstop and possibly pitch for the Warriors. He batted .485 last summer for the Medford Mustangs American Legion team, and has been an all-Southern Oregon Conference selection the past two seasons. "Nathan is just a great athlete who can cover the left side of the infield very well," says Western Baptist coach Paul Gale. "We like his arm and athleticism, and he swings the bat well." Mayben's recruitment was made easier for Gale thanks to his already strong ties to the Mayben family. Gale was an assistant at Western Baptist when Mayben's older brother Mike played for the baseball team. "When I went up there and visited it was a nice environment and the Christian atmosphere I wanted from a college," the younger Mayben says, opting against striving for a Division I scholarship. "It's a place where I know I can go and play. It's not the highest level, but it's still the next level. I didn't want to go to a Division I school where I might sit on the bench for two years and then maybe play." Gale is in his second season as the Warrior's head coach. Last year he guided Western Baptist to its best season ever at 19-28, and the Warriors are already out of the gates at 8-5 this season. "He's turned it around big-time since he got there," Mayben says of Gale. "It's definitely a program that has a strong upside.'' Mayben says he plans to major in secondary education at Western Baptist, but is still undecided whether his concentration will be math or physical education. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA