LAPEL — Senior Brodie Williams of the Lapel Bulldogs has made a verbal commitment to Ball State University, where he will play his collegiate golf for the Cardinals.

Williams has been selected All-White River Athletic Conference and All-County the past two years. He has also represented the Hoosier State in the Indiana-Kentucky State Challenge Cup each of the last two summers.

Among the other schools interested in Williams were Butler, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois. So what put Ball State at the top of his list?

“I’ve played with a lot of the guys on the team during the summer,” Williams said. “I took my official visit there, and the school, the campus is very nice and all roads led to Ball State. I can’t be any more happy. I’m absolutely thrilled (with my choice).”

Williams didn’t receive any extra pressure from his family when it came time to select a school for next year.

“My parents pretty much left the decision up to me,” Williams said. “My mom went there, and they went with me on some unofficial visits, but they let me make the decision on where I wanted to go.”

A major selling point in Ball State’s favor was the renovations currently taking place on the Muncie campus.

“They’re in the middle of $300 million worth of renovations,” Williams said. “And a major selling point was that all of the MAC (Mid-American Conference) schools are building indoor-golf facilities and Ball State has committed to doing that.”

His official visit coincided with the Cardinal football team’s national television appearance on ESPN when it hosted — and defeated — Navy in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Schuemann Stadium.

Williams qualified for the IHSAA State Golf Finals last spring and is looking for a return trip in the 2009 season.

Williams is scheduled to sign his letter of intent in November.