Cullman girls basketball star Baylee Johnson poses with her family after signing with the University of Alabama in Huntsville Wednesday.

The average signing ceremony is already a pretty festive affair. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, friends, coaches and administrators all gather around as the student-athlete of the hour splashes some ink and pledges their commitment to the college of their choice.

Now, multiply that lively scene by five. What you’ve got is Wednesday’s Bearcat bonanza inside the snazzy new lecture hall at the rebuilt Cullman High School, where there were five times the folks — and five times the fun — for a star-studded signing group.

Black and Gold baseball teammates Jesse Scott (Auburn), Sam Huser (Southeastern Louisiana), Branch Hill (South Alabama) and Drake Hollingsworth (University of Alabama in Huntsville) shared their big days with girls basketball star Baylee Johnson (UAH), who sat front and center at a long table on stage specially set up for the handful of honorees.

Baseball coach Brent Patterson has more than enough experience signing away his players but couldn’t quite remember if four was the most he’d had in a single day. That’s a pretty nice problem to have and one Patterson could potentially run into again with seniors Cole Collins and Maison Goodwin bound for Wallace State. Sophomore sensation Owen Lovell has already verbally committed to Alabama, and several other Bearcat underclassmen are on track to eventually take their skills to the college stage.

In Patterson’s eyes, Cullman’s track record of churning out next-level talent comes down to the hard work his players are willing to put in. He was ecstatic to watch it all pay off for Scott, Huser, Hill and Hollingsworth on Wednesday.

“It’s a reward, and they deserve it,” Patterson said. “It’s good for them individually, and it’s an awful good reflection on us, too. They’re making us look good.”

Huser (8-0), Scott (8-3) and Hill (4-3) were three of the Black and Gold’s most reliable starters when the program made its eighth march to Montgomery since 2002 this past spring. Scott led the squad in strikeouts (91), Huser sported a super-low 1.44 ERA and Hill was the go-to guy out of the bullpen as the playoffs wore on.

“It really says a lot about our program,” Hill said of the Bearcats’ signing spree. “It’s just a really exciting day for all of us.”

As excited as Hollingsworth, a backup catcher expected to ascend to the starting role in 2015, was Wednesday, he had good reason for figuring Thursday would be even better.

“I haven’t got my papers yet, so I think I’ll actually sign tomorrow,” he said. “But big day. Big day, yeah.”

Now that the foursome knows what they’re doing after high school, they can all turn their attention toward acquiring a state title before they officially say farewell. Cullman came close to securing a fourth blue map a spring ago but instead had to settle for a fifth red, runner-up trophy after being swept by Spanish Fort.

Even a step up in Class 6A, Scott and Hill are confident the Black and Gold will get their redemption.

“We’re definitely going for it,” Scott said. “I hope we win. We probably will win. That’s what I’m thinking.”

Added Hill: “It’s still baseball. We’re out-working everybody, so I think we’ll be good.”

Going out with another state title appearance — and a championship — would be especially sweet for Huser. An ill-timed elbow injury abruptly shelved the ace after he hurled a near-shutout in the first round of the playoffs.

“It motivates me,” Huser said. “Just gotta stay healthy. We know we’re good enough to win.”

Despite Patterson being a baseball guy through and through, the coach couldn’t hide his pleasure from including Johnson, a bonafide basketball standout, in the signing fold.

“It was awesome to get to share that with our athletes among different sports,” he said. “Baylee’s such a good athlete and such a good representative of this school. Our guys from Day 1 were asking if they could do the same time as Baylee. I love for our programs to get to come together and get to celebrate something at the same time.”

Johnson, who’s recovering from an ACL injury and set to return to the floor later this year, was genuinely humbled by the ceremony and opportunity.

“I’m extremely excited and blessed,” she said. “I’ve got such a great family, great teammates and great coaches. I’m happy to be going to a program like UAH. Coach Lemmond is a really good coach, and they sell out their basketball games.”

Black and Gold coach Jonathan Hayes couldn’t speak enough about his senior point guard and how much she’s factored into the program’s success over the past three seasons.

“Her work ethic, determination, drive and passion are second to none,” Hayes said. “She is one of those players, as a coach, you’re privileged to ride the coattails. The competitiveness is something I have not seen from a girl in 16 years of coaching.”

Johnson still has a few weeks before she can return to action for the Bearcats — and it can’t come soon enough.

“I can’t wait to get out there,” Johnson said. “I have already missed three games and that’s way too many.”

While Hayes will be understandably upset after Johnson’s last game in a Bearcat uniform, he has no doubts she’ll succeed at UAH as she has her entire prep career.

“She’ll excel at any level because of her attributes,” he said. “I’m selfishly excited that I can go watch her play because she is so close to home. I’m just extremely excited for her.”