Bishop Hendricken student-athletes Dante Baldelli, Elijah Brown and Dominic Parlato II signed their respective National Letters of Intent in the high school’s theater on Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by family, teammates and friends.

Outfielder Baldelli and infielder Brown, key parts on Hendricken’s Division I championship baseball team from this past season, will be attending Boston College and Sacred Heart University in the fall, respectively.

Cross country and track star Parlato, who came in fifth place at the RIIL Cross Country State Championship a few weeks ago, committed to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell just days after being recognized as an All-New England athlete.

A few administrators and coaches spoke highly of the three student-athletes, starting with Hendricken President John Jackson. Jackson said signing days are one of his favorites, because “you get to celebrate the accomplishments of these fine young men.”

“They are also extremely good students, and they’re also pretty nice kids,” Jackson said. “So we celebrate a lot today. In all three of these guys’ cases, they have done themselves proud. They came to Hendricken perhaps with a dream, or maybe not. Maybe they just discovered it, but this is a culmination of a lot of hard work, lot of dedication, lot of teamwork, lot of commitment.”

Hendricken Principal Jay Brennan echoed Jackson’s sentiments, noting that while their athletic accomplishments may be impressive, “they are students first, and athletes second.”

“That’s why Elijah and Dante and Dominic are sitting here, is because they are that complete person,” Brennan said. “Colleges do not create one of these documents for somebody who is not of high character. Colleges do not want to sign kids that they can’t trust, that they don’t think have outstanding character and that they don’t think can work hard. Coaches aren’t gonna take those chances.”

The coaches that helped shape the athletes at the table came up to speak next, starting with longtime cross country and track head coach Jim Doyle. Doyle has coached Parlato through all four years at Hendricken, and he spoke at length about his passion for running and growth from his first to fourth season.

“Running is an awful lot of dedication,” Doyle said. “You have to get out there every day and this guy here has proven beyond a doubt that he’s committed to the sport. During this time, he’s risen from being just an average freshman runner to becoming an All-State athlete in his junior year, and repeating the same thing this year.”

Assistant baseball coach Chris Sheehan talked next about Baldelli and Brown, who both came up big in different spots during the Hawks’ championship run in the fall. Sheehan noted that Baldelli had to deal with being the brother of former Hawk and MLB player Rocco Baldelli, “which is not an easy thing for a 14-year-old kid to deal with.”

“I think Dante has done that great,” Sheehan said. “No one really thinks of him as Rocco’s brother anymore, they think of him as Dante, and he’s been an integral part in our past two state championships. A lot of great accomplishments, and I don’t think he’s scratched the surface of how good he can really be. With his body type and his size, he’s gonna fill out more. So I really think that Boston College is obviously getting a great player.”

Baldelli will join his former Hendricken teammate and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year Gian Martellini, who will begin his first season as an Eagle in the spring.

“I’m so excited about it,” Baldelli said about reuniting with Martellini. “We’ve been best friends for the last four years, ever since I’ve got here. So it’s gonna be a great experience to get to play with him again for hopefully four years, maybe three years, you never know, but it’s gonna be fun.”

Sheehan also spoke of the character and impressive defense of Brown, who transferred to Hendricken last year from Moses Brown.

“He made some plays that, we may not have won if he didn’t make those plays,” Sheehan, who helps train Baldelli and Brown, said. “Great addition to our program, and same thing as Dante, I think he has a ton of room to grow. I’ve seen his work ethic. He’s gonna continue to develop and, again, not only is he a great player with a lot of potential, but a great kid, great student.”

Brown was the first to speak when the student-athletes were given time to say some words to those in the audience. He shared a moment with his family, speaking directly to his father and grandparents in the crowd.

“I would just like to thank my grandparents, they put just as much time into it as my dad has,” Brown said. “They always sacrificed just as much as he does to see me grow as a person and do the things that I want. It just shows such compassion in a person, and it shows the heart that someone has to do it all over again.”

“The sacrifices that he’s made for me, it’s unheard of,” Brown said of his father. “It’s a little bit of a cliche to say, but I literally would not be here without you.”

Brown also thanked Coach Sheehan for “having someone so great like [him] that saw the potential” he has.

Baldelli thanked his parents and his brothers, though “none of them made it,” which he said to laughs from the crowd.

“I would like to thank the entire Hendricken community for everything you guys have done,” Baldelli, who chose BC over Bryant, Brown and Georgetown, said. “I really appreciate it. I wouldn’t be where I am without you guys. Sheehan, thank you for everything you’ve done. And I’d like to thank BC last for giving me the opportunity to get a great education next year and the next four years and being able to play at the next level.”

Parlato was appreciative of his parents and family for “motivating [him] all these years.”

“Especially those days in the summer when I have to run by myself and I really don’t wanna, but my parents would push me to do it,” Parlato, who chose UMass-Lowell over schools such as Northeastern, said. “Without them I really couldn’t have gotten as good as I am now.”

He extended thanks to his teammates and coaches as well for running alongside him all these years.

All three student-athletes still have work ahead of them at Hendricken before they can officially start their collegiate careers, but all three said they would be focusing on improving their craft before hitting the post-secondary level.

“We both plan on getting better together,” Brown, who chose SHU over Franklin Pierce and New Hampshire, said of himself and Baldelli. “We’re at top-notch baseball programs, so you’ve gotta be at the peak of your game to be able to compete over there. Really, it comes down to how motivated we are and what we’re willing to give in order to get to our level of potential.”

“Just keep training,” Parlato said about his plans for getting better in his final few months as a Hawk. “I’m not done yet. Training every day.”