PBR: What schools were you considering?

I was considering DePauw University and Southeastern Iowa CC.

PBR: Why did you choose Eastern Illinois?

I chose Eastern Illinois because I have always dreamed of playing Division I baseball, and I really liked the campus and the facilities.  I also liked Coach Schmitz (HC) and Coach Anderson (Pitching coach), and they seemed to have a lot of experience and baseball knowledge that I can take away from playing for them.

PBR: Who did you play for in the summer, and what was that experience like?

I played for the Indiana Mudsox 17U, and I had a great experience with the team.  We had the opportunity to play at places like East Cobb and played against some of the best competition around, and I gained a lot from those experiences.

PBR: What role do the coaches expect you to play during your first year on campus?

The coaches see me as a possible midweek starter /middle reliever, depending on how Fall and Spring practices go and on how much I can progress as a pitcher.

PBR: What is your biggest strength as a player and how do you feel that you will help Eastern Illinois?

My biggest strength is my competitiveness and desire to win.  I feel like I can help Eastern Illinois by working my hardest and buying into the program to be the best pitcher that I can be.

PBR: How has travel baseball helped your development as a player?

Travel ball has helped my development as a player by putting me against the best competition in the country, and I believe that you only get better by facing the best. 

PBR: Who has had the biggest impact on you as a baseball player?

My dad has had the biggest impact on me as a player, because he was my coach for 8 years and taught me a majority of what I know, and he helped me a lot in the recruiting process.

PBR: What were your stats for this spring season at Hamilton Southeastern?

I was 5-3 with a 2.20 ERA.

PBR: You went through a head coaching change from your junior year into your senior year, how did that change things for you as a player and how did that affect your team?

It changed things for me as a player by providing me with a fresh start.  I was on JV for the second half of my junior season and the morale of the entire program was down, so I was thrilled when Coach Henson became the head varsity coach.  The rest of the team felt the same way, and we wanted to make a deep postseason run and work hard for Coach.

PBR: You helped lead HSE to a sectional title, their first since 2004.  Describe that experience and what it meant to you as senior?

We had many ups and downs during the regular season, but we had a lot of confidence going in to sectionals.  Westfield had already beaten us twice and North Central had beaten us once, but we believed in eachother and knew that we could win.  It was a huge deal especially because I was a senior, because I wanted to help bring a winning tradition back to HSE's baseball program while I could.