A pair of long-time Austin baseball teammates locked up an opportunity to stay teammates for at least two more years at Austin High School Friday.

Seniors Dylan Gasner and Alex Ciola both signed their national-letters-of-intent to play college baseball NJCAA Division II at Iowa Central.

Gasner, a catcher who hit .464 for Austin last spring, and Ciola, a third baseman who hit .333 for the Packers last spring, and both were key cogs on the Austin Post 91 Legion baseball team that went to the state tournament this past summer.

By taking the junior college route, Ciola and Gasner will both get a chance to play right away.

“We’ve played together all of our lives and we’re going to keep the memories going,” Ciola said. “I really do not like sitting and I just want to get out there and play every day.”

Gasner will get a chance to play against his older brother Nik, who is at currently at Iowa Lake Community College and he’s also looking forward to keep playing with Ciola.

“It should be fun, especially for me playing against my brother,” Dylan said. “Those first two years will really benefit us a lot. We’ll get stronger and we’ll learn a lot about the game.”

Iowa Central coach Rick Pederson said that Dylan was the team’s No. 1 catcher recruit and he made up his mind on offering Ciola after he saw him take about three swings in a workout.

“Dylan is only scratching the surface as he continues to fill out physically,” Pederson said. “Alex has a great fame and he is athletic. Those two things usually add up to be an exceptional player.”

Iowa Central went 38-19 last season and it has advanced more than 80 players to the Division I level over the past 20 years. The team has made nine trips to the NJCAA World Series and it is the defending conference champs.