BELLBROOK - The Prep Baseball Report scouting report said “must see arm this spring” when talking about Bennett LaPalm after the Canes Scout Day event in January.

Dayton recognized what the Bellbrook left-handed pitcher could do.

“A couple days after the PBR event they reached out and asked me to come to a camp,” the hard-throwing junior reflected. “A couple weeks later I went to the camp and they liked what they saw. They liked my arm speed and the movement on some of my offspeed pitches.”

LaPalm was happy to get interest after showing off his ability at the PBR event.

“I threw pretty well there,” the southpaw explained. “My arm felt good and my movement was good. I had my best velo ever, 88.5.”

Hard work is credited when it comes to the recent improvement shown.

“I’ve really been working on my mechanics and arm speed,” LePalm related. “I’ve been grinding in the weight room and working to have the top velocity in Dayton. I’m getting stronger and more confident.”

It has helped the 6-0 175-pounder reach the dream of playing baseball at the next level after a commitment to Dayton.

“Since I was younger I’ve wanted to play college baseball,” the 17-year-old said. “Once I really started training hard during the past year I saw it was a realistic possibility.”

The recruiting process also began to pick up.

“I started getting interest my sophomore year mainly due to PBR events and my coaches,” LaPalm said, pointing to Juan Espinoza for his help with training, Jon Venters with helping development and Kevin Harleman and Doug Adams for their contributions in the recruiting process.

Once Dayton came into the picture, LaPalm found what he was looking for in a school and program.

“I liked the practices and I liked the environment and intensity that went on there,” LaPalm said about his visit to the university 20 minutes from home. “I really like the campus, too. I’d been there before but hadn’t seen the full campus.”

A 3.5 student planning to major in exercise science, LaPalm is honored to have the opportunity to play Division I baseball.

“It’s really exciting,” LaPalm said. “I’m proud and happy that all of the hard work over the years has paid off. Now I’m looking forward to getting better and improving myself while playing at the highest level.”

Once a commitment was made LaPalm was thrilled to be going to play in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

“It’s really exciting,” LaPalm explained. “It’s exciting for my family and friends and I’m happy with my decision. They’re going to get somebody with a hard-working mentality.”

There is also an understanding of what needs to be done.

“I want to be more consistent and better at calming myself down on the mound,” LaPalm concluded.