Avery Batson at her signing ceremony on Feb 3 (Photo contributed)

MADISON- Avery Batson could have chosen to play college soccer at just about any university in the nation. She committed to Harvard as a freshman but changed her mind and when Auburn offered her a full athletic scholarship she knew instantly where she would spend the next four years.

“After thinking, I realized how much I loved Auburn and how I felt like it was my second home. In the end I couldn’t imagine gong to any other school. I couldn’t imagine being that far away from my family and friends and I didn’t think I would be happy going anywhere but Auburn,” the Bob Jones senior said.

Batson has strong ties to Auburn. Her father Paul and mother Jo both are Auburn graduates. Her sister Sydney is currently a senior there.

Batson signed on National Signing Day, Feb. 3 the first day soccer players could sign.

She has played internationally most recently on the Italy travel team and before that the England team. She played on the Costa Rica team in 2013 that won a championship and was tournament MVP.

She played two years on the US national team (under 15 and under 16) and trained at the US Soccer National Team Training Center in Carson, California, also home to the MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy.

At Bob Jones last season Batson led the team to the AHSAA Soccer Championships becoming the first Bob Jones girls team to make the tournament since it moved to John Hunt Park. Batson was team MVP as a junior.

But her playing days at Bob Jones are over. She will forego her senior season of soccer to train for Auburn’s physical conditioning.

She missed her sophomore season due to international play and eligibility issues.

At Auburn she will be teammates with girls from Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain whom she has competed against.

“I’m really excited to play with the girls from Birmingham. I’ve played with them on the Olympic Development Program so it will be nice to be on the same team again.”

Auburn Head Soccer Coach Karen Hoppa tweeted a video and said “It is key to get those great in-state players and Avery is the most heralded player in Alabama and we are real excited to add her to our program. She has great national team experience and she’s a left-footed outside attacking player that fits our style of play. She has always been part of the Auburn family and now it is official.”

Batson also runs on the Bob Jones Indoor Track team. She competed in the 4x200M, open 400M, and 4x400M.