Hood Improving His Game While Searching For College Home
January 6, 2025
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Hood Improving His Game While Searching For College Home
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Nicholas Hood 2B / SS / St. Francis de Sales, OH / 2026Rankings StateRank: 24 / POS: 1
PERRYSBURG - Nicholas Hood sees progress being made, both in his recruiting process and in his game. “I had no clue what to expect with roster changes and coaches scurrying around,” the St. Francis DeSales High School junior said about his recruitment. “It’s been a good first couple of months. I wasn’t expecting many calls but I’ve got a few more than I thought.” Ohio University and Wright State reached out on Aug. 1, the initial day college coaches could make contact with players in the 2026 class. Additional talks have been with Bowling Green, while his first visit took place with Lake Erie. Camps are ahead at BG, Toledo and Dayton. “A lot of my interest came from Twitter posts and I DM’d with a bunch of coaches,” the top-rated junior second baseman in Ohio related. “Prep Baseball helped a ton getting my name out there with all the showcases. The Top Prospect Games was really good for me. I played well there.” While recruitment is moving along, the 16-year-old has also been working hard to make improvements on the ball diamond. “I go to a Prep Baseball camp every winter to see my metrics and that really helps me,” Hood explained. “Two things I’m working on is my speed, and I dropped that, and my arm strength, and that’s been going up.” Proof is in the numbers, with his arm velo up three miles an hour from the TPG in June to the Ohio State Games in October and his 60 time dropping from 7.07 to 6.81 in that four-month timeframe. “I feel my work ethic and leadership on and off the field is something I can give a program,” Hood noted. “I also push guys well.” Admiration for the game is something else that the 24th-ranked 2026 in the state can provide a college at the next level. “I love the challenge, the competition between pitcher and batter,” Hood explained about what he enjoys about baseball. “The fact that you fail seven out of 10 times, and be successful, I love that part.” Kyle Weldon, Prep Baseball Ohio Director of Scouting, sees a lot of strong qualities in Hood. “He is a versatile player with good baseball instincts,” Weldon said. “He is consistently a tough out, wearing pitchers down with barrel accuracy and zone awareness. Nicholas showed well every time we saw him in 2024.” At 5-8 and 163 pounds, Hood admits there is a little chip on his shoulders. “It just makes me work harder,” the eighth-rated uncommitted junior in Ohio said. “I don’t mind it. I know I’ll find the right college so it doesn’t matter. It’s fine with me if I get overlooked by some people, it just pushes me to work harder at the game I love.” The strong work ethic and desire to find a home brings excitement about what lies ahead. “With all the camps I’m going to, I’m hoping to start talking to more schools,” Hood pointed out. “I’m just trying to keep getting better in the weight room and on the field. I’m hoping to have a really good year. We should be good. We’re the second biggest Division III school in the state, just eight away from D-II.” Kinesiology is the likely college major for Hood, a 3.4 student who knows what he is looking for in a school and baseball program. “Loyalty from the coach’s perspective,” Hood explained. “I want to make sure the coach is going to be there. I’d like a decent-sized school with a good atmosphere, a place I can develop to be the best I can be.” As for when a decision might be made, that has not been determined. “I’m taking the whole recruiting process slowly,” Hood concluded. “I really don’t know where I want to go. Hopefully, I’ll know during or after summer ball.” |
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