TYNGSBOROUGH, Ma. - Schools throughout the northeast and midwest were drawn to Gabe Pitts. And it is no wonder.

The Worcester Academy junior runs a 6.39 time in the 60 to go along with a strong arm and solid bat. 

In the end one school rose to the top during a recruiting process helped immensely by the PBR Future Games.

“The number one thing they like is the speed I bring on the base paths and outfield,” related the second-rated 2023 outfielder in New England about Central Connecticut State where Pitts has committed. “They like my character, too. At the camp I went to, everyone left water bottles laying around the dugout. I was the last one there and cleaned up. I credit that to what I learned with Evolution Baseball.”

Now the speedy Pitts is ready to clean up the opposition in the Northeast Conference, a league in which Central has won four of the past five seasons played,

“CCSU has everything I was looking for academically,” noted Pitts, who had a 3.5 GPA last semester and is planning to major in the business field. “I like that it’s not too big and not too small. In baseball they win the conference almost every year. CCSU and Bryant are always one-two.”

There is more that stood out to the 65th-ranked 2023 outfielder in the nation.

“Right away I loved the coaching staff,” Pitts pointed out. “I love the relationships I’ve built with them. After the camp they checked back each week checking on how I’m doing.”

The camp took place in September after Central reached out to the 17-year-old.

“I did pretty well at the camp, but not my best,” Pitts reflected. “I met all the coaching staff and they were all easy to talk to and they stayed in touch.

“Dec. 1 is when I took a visit and they showed me around,” added Pitts. “As soon as I stepped on campus it felt like home. I met the head coach and he said ‘let me know when you’re ready to move forward.’ I thought about it for a few days and I texted the assistant coach and emailed the head coach and said I was ready to move forward. Then they offered. I gave it a few days and got back to them four days later and accepted.”

Prior to the Future Games, Northeastern was the lone school that had reached out to the 6-0 160-pounder.

“Two weeks before I got my first call with coach (Kevin) Cobb (the recruiting coordinator) at Northeastern,” Pitts related. “Before that I had no college coaches that knew who I was. I’d always dreamed of playing but I didn’t know where to start. Coach (Phil) Price at Evolution did a great job of showing me where I had to go to get exposure.”

Schools like Cincinnati, Radford and West Virginia became interested along with Maine, Fordham, Holy Cross and North Carolina. VCU, New Albany and William & Mary also joined the crowd enamoured with the number 13th-rated junior in New England,

“I’m really grateful to all the coaches that reached out after the Future Games,” said Pitts, who reached base six times in eight plate appearances at the PBR event while stealing six bases. “I’d like to thank PBR for getting my name out there and coach (Dennis) Healy (PBR Massachusetts Director of Scouting) for always checking with me on how I was doing. That means a lot because it can be stressful.”

While speed is his trademark, ironically, Pitts never ran a 60 until this summer.

“I started doing showcases and people said speed is what you have,” Pitts noted.

That is just one aspect of the game that the 425th-rated 2023 in the country believes he can provide the CCSU program.

“I’ll bring speed, hustle and, hopefully when I get there I’ll be stronger and hit for more power,” Pitts said. “I’ll be the best teammate I can be, my coaches have taught me that. Hopefully I’ll be one of the hardest workers and bring passion for the game of baseball.”

It is a sport that Pitts has grown to appreciate.

“I played basketball but I’m a better baseball player,” Pitts explained. “I love the grind. There’s always something to work on and fix. When you figure it out it definitely feels good.”

The same goes for finalizing a college commitment.

“All these years of hard work and to be committed to a D-I program, it was definitely all worth it,” Pitts said. “I’m looking forward to winning championships in the NEC and just the experience of playing college baseball. I’m looking forward to building relationships with future teammates and wearing that jersey. I’m ready to put in the work to help them win games.”