Northwest Shoals Athletics to welcome youngest Patriot on Saturday during Signing Day Event

MUSCLE SHOALS – Northwest Shoals Community College (NWSCC) will host a special signing day event at 12 noon on Saturday, December 2, to feature the signing of 11 year-old Azaiah Lopez, from Muscle Shoals, to the Patriots baseball team and Northwest Shoals family.

Lopez has been battling pediatric cancer. The event is made possible through the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The goal is to create a support system that extends beyond the conventional boundaries of a sports team, providing comfort and encouragement to the children and their families.

The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation was created by Dennis Murphy. His daughter, Jaclyn, was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, and she became connected to and later adopted by the Northwestern University lacrosse team as an honorary team member. Jaclyn’s strength, courage, relentless spirit, and joy for life inspired the players, he said. The team went on to a perfect season, winning their first NCAA national championship in 64 years.

Who: NWSCC Athletic Department, ACCC and Friends of Jaclyn Foundation representatives will join the Lopez family and friends with current Patriot athletes to welcome them to the Northwest Shoals family.

When: The signing day event will be held Saturday, December 2, beginning at 12 p.m.

Where: NWSCC Baseball Field at Patriot Park on the Shoals Campus (In case of rain, the event will be held in Building 110); 800 George Wallace Blvd., Muscle Shoals, AL 35661