Two players are from Easley
CENTRAL — Southern Wesleyan’s Men’s Soccer Program and Head Coach Josh Quarandillo recently announced the 2023-24 signing class.
The Warriors will welcome 12 athletes to the program this fall. Included in that are five transfers and seven freshmen who will travel to Central, S.C., from six different states including South Carolina, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas.
Sebastian Hidalgo, Andrew Baxley, Nickolas Smith, Jonathan Parra, Luke Bramblett, Solomon Pitts, Josiah Pitts, Bryan Garcia, Luke Burleson, Dillon Bennett, Brody Schroeder and Marco Iniguez all look to join the Warriors for the Fall 2023 season.
“I’m very pleased with the size and quality of this recruiting class,” commented Head Coach Josh Quarandillo. “We have a good mix of incoming freshmen and transfers. It is exciting to see how our program is transitioning from rebuild to growth, both on and off the field. This recruiting class compliments our program academically and athletically, but what excites me the most is the depth of character and spirituality that these young men possess. The culture of our program and honoring God in all that we do is our top priority. This incoming class is well aware of who we are, what we stand for, and what we believe we can accomplish. Each of them shares our passion to glorify God and is committed to our mission.”
The Warriors first signee from the state of South Carolina is Sebastian Hidalgo. Hidalgo, who attended Easley High School, will join several Warriors who attended the school including defender Ryan Rodriguez and midfielder Feren Nunez. Prior to coming to Southern Wesleyan, Hidalgo attended Tri County Technical College. His favorite quote is “Never give up on something you’re meant to do.”
Hidalgo will be joined by Andrew Baxley out of Mauldin, S.C., where he attended Mauldin High School. After high school, Baxley attended USC Union where he played as a center back for the Bantams. His favorite quote comes from Cristiano Ronaldo who said, “If you don’t believe you are the best, then you will never achieve all that you are capable of.”
The Warriors will bring in three freshmen signees from South Carolina. The first is Nickolas Smith. Smith will join the Warriors from North Charleston, South Carolina. The goalkeeper attended Fort Dorchester High School. His favorite quote is “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Smith will be joined by fellow freshman Jonathan Parra. Parra will come to Central via Belton, S.C. He attended Belton-Honea Path High School. His favorite quote is “Your talent is God’s gift to you, what you do with it is your gift back to God.”
The final signee from South Carolina is Luke Bramblett from Easley, S.C. Bramblett will come to Southern Wesleyan University for his freshman season after playing for Powdersville High School. He will join fellow Powdersville High School alumni and current Warrior Carter Pike. Bramblett’s favorite quote is from Lance Armstrong who said, “Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.”
The Warriors will bring in a set of brothers in Solomon and Josiah Pitts. Both brothers hail from Carol Stream, Ill.
Solomon Pitts is the older of the brothers. After attending high school at Wheaton Academy Christian High School in West Chicago, Ill., Pitts is transferring from Trinity International University and College of Dupage. His favorite quote reads “The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you and you don’t have to listen.”
He will be joined by his younger brother, Josiah Pitts. The younger Pitts also attended Wheaton Academy Christian High School. His favorite quote is “Don’t let the promise of tomorrow change the work you put in today.”
Southern Wesleyan’s next transfer signee is Bryan Garcia. Garcia hails from Naples, Fla., where he attended Palmetto Ridge High School. After high school, Garcia journeyed to Medford, Oregon where he played for the Rogue Community College Ospreys. His favorite quote comes from Dwayne Johnson who said “Success isn’t about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”
The Warriors will welcome Luke Burleson from Thomasville, N.C. Burleson will join the Warriors for his freshman season after attending high school at East Davidson. His favorite Bible verse is Colossians 3:23 which reads “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you are working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Dillon Bennett will come to Central via Lilburn, Ga. The Georgia native attended Parkview High School which is a Gwinnett Super 6 program. His favorite Bible verse is Romans 12:10 which says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Southern Wesleyan’s second signee out of Georgia is Brody Schroeder. Schroeder hails from Lawrenceville, Ga., and attended Peachtree Ridge High School. His favorite quote comes Lewis Caralla who said, “Lazy people do a little work, and think that they should be winning. But winners work as hard as possible and still worry about being lazy.”
Lastly, the Warriors will welcome one athlete from the Lone Star State as Marco Iniguez will come from El Paso, Texas. In high school, he attended Eastwood High School. He went on to play for the FC Dallas Premier team, and then attended Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.