Frey Makes College Commitment To Toledo

Hayden Frey LHP / 1B / Troy, OH / 2025

TROY - A week after having Tommy John Surgery, Hayden Frey made a college commitment to the University of Toledo.

“That pushed a few schools away,” the Troy High School junior admitted about the injury that occurred during a fall game resulting in surgery on Sept. 12. “I’m working hard to get back as soon as possible and hope to be able to pitch live games next fall.”

Knowing where his future college home will be certainly lessens the worries for the ninth-rated 2025 left-handed pitcher in Ohio.

“It took a lot of pressure off my shoulders,” related the 16-year-old about making a commitment to the Mid-American Conference university. “Now I can focus on getting back off Tommy John to get ready for baseball next year.”

Toledo initially saw the 6-3 175-pounder at the PBR Top Prospect Games in June.

“After that they saw me a couple of more times in Indiana,” Frey noted. “They called on Aug. 1 and talked to me a little. They wanted to get me to a camp. I went to a camp a week or so later and they liked what they saw. I was offered that night.”

The 35th-ranked junior in the state took a visit to UT on Sept. 16 and “committed a few days after that” to the school located two hours from his home in Troy.

“I really liked the campus,” explained Frey, who also had interest from Kent State, Ohio University, Liberty and Kentucky. “I talked to a couple of the guys on the team when I went there and they made me feel like family. I want to be able to have a chance to play freshman year and that’s my best opportunity.”

Toledo has high expectations of what Frey can do for the program.

“They like my emotion,” Frey pointed out. “They said they thought I would be able to be a ‘big dog’ there with a chance to play early on. They thought I could be a big part of their team.”

The idea of playing at the next level has been a lifelong objective for Frey.

“It’s always been my dream to play somewhere in college, especially Division I,” Frey said. “It’s been a goal for me. I always played up and once I started traveling for baseball I knew it was going to happen.”

There was assistance along the way to make it a reality.

“PBR was really helpful, playing in all their tournaments, especially the national championship in LakePoint,” Frey said. “The Top Prospect Games helped get me out in front of coaches.

“My summer coach, Brandon Riley, was also a big factor in colleges coming to watch and see me throw. He played a big role.”

Pitching coach Heath Murray and high school coach Ty Welker are also credited by Frey with being instrumental in becoming a Toledo commit along with his parents.

“They always pushed me to be the best I could be,” Frey noted. “My dad played college baseball at Findlay and knows a lot about it. He’s always been a role model for me.”

Improvement also proved valuable in getting college interest.

“The biggest thing was getting in the weight room,” Frey said. “I gained four or five miles an hour with my fastball. I also worked consistently on getting my mindset right to be able to compete and get outs. If something wasn’t working, I just worked to get through it.”

A major in business is the plan for Frey, who carries a 3.75 GPA in high school.

“I’m looking forward to going to Toledo and competing,” Frey concluded. “I want to do my best to get on the field as soon as possible, show them what I can do and help them win games.”