LEXINGTON, Ma - It took just two pitches for John Paone to make an impression on Duke.

“I was pitching in a PBR tournament at Lake Pointe,” the Lawrence Academy sophomore reflected. “It was the first I’d pitched all summer, I’d been dealing with an injury. My coach, Jonathan Morse, ran into Brady Kilpatrick and said we have a guy you might be interested in. The second pitch of the game I topped at 92 and that’s how I got on their radar.”

There were others besides the Duke pitching coach that became enamored with the top-rated 2025 pitcher in New England.

“After the PBR tournament schools from every conference in the top five reached out,” Paone noted. “I had offers from multiple ACC schools.”

But it was Duke that caught the eyes of the 6-3 195-pound right-hander.

“A few weeks later they saw me pitch three-plus innings and I had 10 strikeouts,” Paone said of Duke. “We had a zoom call that night and that’s when they offered. I proceeded to pitch in New Jersey a few weeks later and coach Kilpatrick came to see me again. Then I shut down. On Sept 17 I made the decision to commit.”

After all, Paone found what he was looking for in the ACC university located in Durham, a 21/2 hour flight from his home in Massachusetts.

“My three points I wanted to see in a school were:

- “Is it really good academically? Duke checked the box.

- “Do I bond with the coaches? Through conversations I felt I bonded well with them.

- “Location. I wanted to go south and play. Durham is 30 minutes away from Chapel Hill and my cousin goes there. My grandparents are an hour-and-a-half away in Charlotte.”

Paone’s ability on the mound brought a lot of intrigue from Duke.

“They really like the way I move and thought I had a lot of potential,” Paone explained. “My mechanics need some work, but they see potential. They also like my arm slot, I have good run on my fastball. My slider and change still need work, but they like my approach to hitters.”

Paone pointed to his grandfather, John Drahus, as being influential in his desire to play at the next level.

“It’s been my dream since I can remember,” Paone said of playing college baseball. “My grandfather, who lives in Charlotte, is one of my biggest supporters. He was a star in his days and I’ve been around him and talked to him about my dreams. He’s my idol and the person I look up to the most. He says don’t think too much about the future, he wants me to stay in the present.”

Lawrence Academy pitching coach Walter Beede is another that has played a major role in helping the third-ranked sophomore in New England get where he is in the game today.

“I talked to him freshman year when I was skin and bones and he said you have a lot of potential if you put on muscle and stay in the gym velocity and power will come,” related Paone, who was 6-1 and 155 pounds at the time. “I also worked with Anthony Meo three times a week before I got to Lawrence. He worked on my lower half getting my hips driving through, loading up my back legs and helping with my arm speed. Those two people have been big for me.”

There was additional assistance throughout a recruiting process that was hindered to a degree by an injury that included a weak rotator cuff and bursitis that limited Paone to just three games on the mound during his freshman year of high school..

“After the PBR tournament is the first time I got big college interest,” Paone explained. “There definitely were a lot of college coaches there and after that things picked up quickly. It was stressful but fun at the same time. I had a lot on my side helping guide me to what I should look for in a school.

“Sal Frelick, who is from Lexington and in Triple-A right now, gave me insight to his recruitment. Anthony Meo, who played at Coastal, was big in my guidance and my parents were also a big help. When they saw I was stressed out they were there to lighten the mood. They said it was my decision.

“My teammates at Lawrence, Jack McLaughlin who is at Tufts, and Brayden Ryan who is going to Merrimack, both helped through the process. They said take your time with it. There’s no wrong decision you can make.”

Once a commitment was made, Paone found that to be true.

“I felt like I was on a high for a week,” the 16-year-old said. “I was constantly smiling the next two weeks. I felt a lot of stress off my back knowing it was the right place for me.”

A 3.47 student unsure of a college major, Paone is excited about his future at Duke.

“I’m mainly looking forward to the whole experience,” Paone said. “Everyone I’ve talked to said it’s a great time and I look forward to bonding with the other 2025 commits.”

Paone is confident about what he can provide the ACC program.

“They told me, assuming I stay on the right track, that I’d be a Friday night starter as a freshman,” Paone noted. “That drove me there. My two schools from the beginning were Duke and Vanderbilt and at Vandy I wasn’t sure I’d have that Friday night opportunity. I didn’t want to be a mid-week pitcher in relief.

“But I understand college baseball is a more offensive-based game and I have a lot to improve on. I’ve got to work batters differently and with Duke I feel I have coaches that know how to help me learn.”