Mitch Young, LHP/1B, Goodrich HS, 2013

We recently sat down with Mitch Young from Goodrich HS who committed to St. Joseph's (IN).  Here is what Mitch had to say about his recruiting process.


PBR: Where have you decided to attend college and why did you make this choice?

Young: I have chosen to attend college at St. Joseph’s College in Indiana. I made this choice, because they have the major that I want. I want to major in political science and eventually enter law school. Athletically, I knew that St. Joe’s has a great baseball program. Coach O’Dette is a pitching guy and I really like that. I believe that this baseball program will help me develop into a better baseball player than a lot of other schools.  Also, I like the small-town atmosphere because it reminds me of my hometown.

PBR: What other schools were you considering?

Young: Hillsdale College, Holy Cross, Upper Iowa, and others.

PBR: Was distance from home a factor in your decision?

Young: Not really. The town of Rensselaer is similar to my hometown, which helps give it a good feel. Distance does not really matter that much to me because I understand that all I want is a great education and a place to play ball. It does not matter how far away.

PBR: Where did the coaches first see you? How did your relationship develop with their coaching staff?

Young: The first time they saw me was at their fall camp a few weekends ago. The relationship between me and Coach O’Dette is great because he comes from the pitching background and is also left-handed.  I also like what he teaches pitching wise. Not only that, he seems like an easy coach to relate to. Coach Wheat and Coach Huber are also nice guys. Coach Wheat liked me from a hitting standpoint. Coach Huber is younger so he gets a lot of us.

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

Young: They pretty much told me it is up to me. If I work hard and am one of the better players, I will play. I do have to prove myself though. I will do anything in my power to play my first year and help the team win. I have been working extremely hard this offseason and I am hoping it will pay off come spring time. I want to show the coaches that I am college-ready when I step on the field for the first time with them.

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

Young: My biggest strength would have to be my work ethic. I will make sure nobody works harder than me.  I strongly believe that even though some people may be more talented than you, there is no reason for you to not work harder than them. I will do whatever it takes to become the best player I can be and help my team win as many games as possible.

PBR: Who do you play for in the summer and what was your most memorable experience from this past summer?

Young:  This upcoming summer I will be playing for the South Oakland A’s.  This preceding summer I played for the Michigan Red Sox. My most memorable experience from playing with the Red Sox was definitely at Adrian when we played the Lapeer Outlaws. I was pitching on one day rest and threw over 100 pitches that day. Definitely something I would never do again, although my arm never even hurt. It was the championship game and I pitched out of my mind. We ended up losing, but I didn’t give up any runs. I think the only hit I gave up was the first pitch of the game to a fellow high school teammate.

PBR: Now that you have your commitment out of the way, what are your goals both individually and for the team going into your senior season?

Young: Some things I want to improve on individually are getting my velocity up, throwing my curveball for a strike more often, and definitely getting stronger. Those are probably the three things I need to improve on the most. I would like to get my velocity up the point where I can hit 85-87. My curveball does get a little wild sometimes so I definitely like to fix that by the time high school ball starts. I feel like getting stronger will help me in all aspects of the game. Offensively, I would like to improve my pitch selection and off-speed hitting. Like I said previously, I am working extremely hard this offseason so these improvements can happen. As a team, our number one goal is to go undefeated and win states. Anything other than that wouldn’t reach my expectations. If you set high expectations, you get good results. I would like to meet Bay City John Glenn in regionals again for a rematch from last year.

PBR: Who is the best player you have played against in the state?

Young: The best player I have played against in the state is probably Zach Olszewski. I have seen him from both the catching and pitching standpoint. He has the best arm I have ever seen on a catcher, and is also a great pitcher.  He throws hard but knows how to pitch. He has a devastating slider from what I remember.