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Commitment Spotlight- '17 Gabe Pilla, RHP, Holy Angels

September 22, 2016

By Rob Allison
Prep Baseball Report Minnesota

PBR Minnesota strives to be the most comprehensive source of player information across the state. The Prep Baseball Report is the No. 1 resource for high school baseball in each state we cover through our variety of events, boots-on-the-ground scouting staff, daily coverage, and multimedia platforms. Our multimedia platforms and events work in tandem, ultimately creating the most powerful source of high school baseball promotion in each state.  While other organizations take a national approach, our goal is to become the authoritative voice on the ground level of each state.

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Gabriel Pilla 

Name: Gabe Pilla
Position: RHP
Class: 2017
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 220-pounds
High School: Holy Angels
PBR Rank: #14 in MN 2017 Class

Evaluation:  6/20/16- 6-foot-1, 220-pound right-handed pitcher. Sturdy build with strength. Controlled delivery, collects over rubber, with good direction and explosion to plate. Average effort on release. Fastball is hard and heavy with cut action at 85-87 mph. 79-82 mph is solid, more one-plane now, but has chance to be above avg. pitch in future. Fast riser in class who is receiving significant interest.

PBR: Why did you choose North Dakota State University?
PILLA: I choose North Dakota State University because overall it was a very good fit. When I visited, the campus felt like a place that I can call home. The school also had my intended major, great facilities, an awesome set of coaches, who are Coach Brown and Oakes, and an uplifting-feeling community.

PBR: What other schools were you considering? 
PILLA: I had personal communications with Concordia St. Paul, Minnesota State, SDSU, and Wayne State, as well as about a half-dozen other Minnesota schools. Through my college advisor, I also received interest from about a dozen other schools, including top D-1 schools and several smaller D-1 schools around the country, in states including California, Texas, North Carolina, and Louisiana.

PBR: Where did the coaching staff first see you? How did your relationship develop with them? 
PILLA: They saw me at the Area Code tryouts and then again at the PBR Top Prospect Games. The PBR camps were really important. We started talking on phone about once a week. Then they saw me pitch in a game. After that, I made a college visit and committed within a week.

PBR: Do you feel relieved now that the process is over and you can just focus on baseball and not deal with everything that goes into picking a school? 
PILLA: I do. Now that I’m not worrying about showcasing as much and can just continue to develop and really enjoy my senior year.

PBR: Was there one deciding factor that put your choice over the top?
PILLA: One of the big deciding factors for me was that they saw a lot of potential in me. My most important goal is to continue to develop.

PBR: Who has helped you the most to get to where you are today? 
PILLA: Definitely my parents. My mom supported me big time, especially this past year. She made sure I had the best coaches and training and took me to all the prospect camps. My dad introduced me to the game. And my coaches got me to where I am today, especially Brandon Thielk and Ryan Morris from Evolved Athlete.

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? Was it easy/difficult? 
PILLA: I really didn’t have any expectations as I was new to all of this, but I did find the process difficult at first. A year ago, I only threw about 75mph at a camp before my sophomore year. Then we hired coaches and I worked really hard. Once I hit 88 mph at the Area Code tryouts, and then played in the Top Prospect Games the recruiting started to pick up and got a lot easier.

PBR: What plans does the coaching staff have in store for you in your freshman season? 
PILLA: To come in and work hard and compete for playing time and possibly even start.

PBR: What is your most memorable baseball moment to date? 
PILLA: In 2015, my high school team took a trip to Dallas. It was fun bonding with teammates and getting to play teams from Dallas.

PBR: Who is the best player that you have competed against? 
PILLA: Danny Pietruszewski from South St. Paul. We only faced his team once, I only pitched one inning in relief against him, but he was a player who had some serious power and was just an all-around athlete. 

 

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