RAYMOND — Carlisle Koestler has yet to throw a pitch for Hinds Community College, but he already knows where he’ll be heading next.

Koestler, a former Warren Central star, signed a national letter of intent with Southeastern Louisiana University during the NCAA’s early signing period in November. The signing was formally announced at a ceremony Thursday afternoon on Hinds’ campus in Raymond.

Koestler will play the 2016 baseball season at Hinds, and then move on to Southeastern Louisiana for the fall semester.

“It feels great that I have an opportunity to go play at the next level. I didn’t have that out of high school, so it shows how good the development is here at Hinds,” Koestler said.

Koestler was The Vicksburg Post’s baseball Player of the Year in 2014, when he went 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings for Warren Central. He signed with Hinds, but redshirted last year.

Hinds had 15 of the 17 sophomores on its 2015 MACJC championship team sign with four-year schools.

Koestler signed with Hinds as an infielder and pitcher, but will be used solely as a pitcher next season and at SLU. He said coaches have told him they plan to use him as a weekend starter.

“This year we were going to see how it was, because I was really getting better at picthing,” Koestler said of the switch from fielder to pitcher. “My (velocity) got really good and I started working on my off-speed, and I knew I had more of a future in pitching than hitting.”

Koestler’s velocity has improved to about 92 mph and he throws five pitches with plenty of movement. Hinds coach Sam Temple said Koestler’s improvement through the fall sped up his prospects of signing with a four-year school.

“One of the things he really had to improve on is his breaking ball, and he’s worked really hard to change his mechanics to consistently be able to throw that pitch like they’re looking for,” Temple said. “His pitch ability has increased tremendously. His fastball has a lot of movement and a lot of natural sink. It’s kind of like a bowling ball. It’s heavy, and he induces what contact he does and gets a lot of ground balls because of that sink.”

While Southeastern Louisiana wanted Koestler for his ability and potential, Koestler said his reason for choosing to be a Lion had a lot to do with money. SLU offered him a full athletic scholarship to go there.

NCAA baseball teams are limited to 11.7 scholarships per team, which is spread among 35 or 40 players. Financial aid packages usually include some academic scholarships, which Koestler is also in line for — he has a 4.0 GPA — but a full athletic scholarship is rare.

“We were sitting in the coach’s office, talking about things, and he slammed his hand on his desk with a piece of paper,” Carlisle’s father, Mike Koestler, said. “He said, ‘We want your son.’ He moved his hand and I looked at the offer sheet, and looked at him kind of shocked. He said no, you’re reading it right. You won’t worry about a thing. I was floored.”

Carlisle’s opportunities on the baseball diamond, of course, also played a part. He also had an offer from Northwestern State, but liked what SLU could offer more.

“It’s a good opportunity, because I feel like there’s going to be a lot of pro scouts at all the games. When I get there we play Vanderbilt and LSU, so I’m excited about that,” he said.

Koestler was one of four Hinds pitchers who cast their lot with four-year schools during the early signing period. Trent Driver signed with Southern Miss, Trey Jolly with Mississippi State, and Timothy Jordan with Louisiana Tech.

Other than Koestler, all of the signees saw minimal playing time last season as they sat behind the large and talented sophomore class. They combined to throw just 42 innings. Temple, though, said all of them will factor into Hinds’ success in 2016 before they head off to the four-year ranks.

“This is a strong group of pitchers, and that’s what we needed to be able to compete at that level,” Temple said. “It’s going to be these guys and having some experience to lead us this year. Having that pitching staff is a good feeling for a coach leading into the season in February.”