How long have you been playing baseball and how long have you played with North Allegheny?
I started playing baseball when I was in Kindergarten, starting with tee ball. I started playing for NA in seventh grade on the middle school team, and I made the varsity team my sophomore year.
What is your biggest motivator for playing the sport?
I’d say my dad because he always played. He didn’t go to college for baseball, but he has always loved it.
You committed to Penn State. Which teams will be your biggest rivals?
We will play teams like Oregon and UCLA, so we will have to travel all the way to the west coast.
How did college programs find you? Did they reach out on a website or attend some of your games?
Penn State went down to Georgia to see me. They watched three games where I pitched, and they also came down to Florida to watch me. After those games, they called me and brought me up to campus for a visit.
What other schools reached out to you with offers? And why was Penn State the best fit for you?
I had a couple other offers. I had WVU, and then I had UMass, George Mason, and Ohio State offers. Penn State has always been my number one school, so I feel like I want to go to Penn State because of that and my sister is up there. I feel like Penn State has always just been my favorite school.
What are some of the strengths those schools saw in you?
I feel like I’m going to get bigger, and I’m pretty tall right now, but I want to gain more weight, so it’s just the potential they saw.
Has your high school or club team played a role in your commitment at all?
The NA coaches helped. But my Spikes travel team head coach was contacted by Penn State and he talked about me to them, so he played a pretty big role.
Are there any weaknesses in your performance that you are hoping to improve upon this season?
I need to throw more strikes with my fastball.
What is the Penn State baseball program like?
The Penn State program is really cool. They have a new stadium coming into play, so it will be fun with all new grass and dirt. They are getting a new light system and all new lockers, and there is also a new coaching staff, so everything is going to be brand new. They are also having a minor league team play with us in the summer.
What are some things you are looking forward to this upcoming season on the school team? What would you like to showcase as a committed senior?
For my senior season, I want to gain velocity. My fastball right now is 90 mph, and I would like to get it to 92 mph by the end of the season. I’ve been working every day to get that. My goal for our team this year is to win states, and we have a lot of good pitchers — around 6 pitchers are committed.
Along with your athletics, what academics are you taking to further your education and future?
I’m going to major in mechanical engineering. The classes will be hard, and then I will have baseball from 2:30 to around 5:30pm, so I’m going to be doing a lot of homework in the evenings. People have advised me to major in business because business would be easier and that’s what a lot of the other athletes are doing.
