By Mike Penn
Michigan Director of Scouting

What a busy few weeks we have had on the recruiting trail.  Talking with several coaches and scouts from the region, many of them commented on how few committed players there were in Michigan.  That is no longer the case.  Over 60 percent of the top 50 in the Class of 2014 players have now committed to play at the next level.

See who is going where in this long overdue recruiting roundup.

Class of 2014

+ SS/INF Brad Baldwin (Bishop Foley) committed to Wayne State and there seemed to be a tidal wave of commitments that followed. Baldwin is a great fit for the Wayne State program.  A grinder who is offensively-minded but can play a variety of infield positions, Baldwin will add versatility to his new home.

+ RHP Mike Murley (Bishop Foley HS) also found his home at Wayne State.  Murley is an outstanding student who received the Wayne State Presidential Scholarship as well as a baseball scholarship.  Murley has one of the better sliders in his class and should be able to compete for innings right away.

+ Staying in the Bishop Foley theme, RHP/OF Michael Reid (Bishop Foley HS) chose to go further away from home and attend the Air Force Academy.  Air Force plays in the Mountain West, which is a good overall conference with some big-name schools. Most notably UNLV and San Diego State come to mind.  No. 17 Reid, who attended both the Midwest Futures Games in 2012 and Top Prospect Games in 2013, has shown good upside both on the mound and has power potential at the plate. 

+From one service academy to the next. RHP Conor Bowers (Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS) committed to West Point, also known as Army.  Bowers is an excellent student and has a ton of potential on the mound. We have had him as high as 87mph and he shows the ability to throw a breaking ball for a strike at will.  The 6-foot-3, 175-pound righty has yet to fully hit his full potential as he still has plenty of room to grow.

+RHP Patrick Leatherman (Jenison HS) is one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the Class of 2014.  The big strong 6-foot-4 righty was the only prospect to bump 90mph at Top Prospect Games this past summer.  He becomes the second player in as many years to commit to a Division I school from Jenison HS. Dakota Mekkes (Michigan State) was the other. Because of his size and his current velocity, Leatherman could see some draft interest come next spring, especially if his fastball takes another jump. He currently ranks No. 20 in Michigan.

+RHP Garrett Schilling (Bishop Foley HS) has made a jump in velocity.  The skinny right-hander has been on the recruiting radar for a while but seemed to lack that last little bit of velocity to show he could compete at the highest level.  Schilling however made his jump and recently was clocked at 84-88mph. Xavier came calling and Schilling committed quickly thereafter. 

+RHP Tone Jacobs (Bay City John Glenn HS) is heading south to Grambling State. Jacobs was first seen by Grambling after a summer coach sent his PBR video to their coaching staff and decided that he wanted warmer weather.  Jacobs follows Zach Olszewski, who is now at Bethune-Cookman, as the second player from John Glenn to head south in the past two seasons.  Jacobs currently ranks No. 26 in Michigan.

+LHP Zach Oshinsky (West Bloomfield HS) has decided to start his college career at Grand Rapids Community College.  Oshinsky has the highly valuable benefit of being left-handed. The crafty lefty works quick and throws strikes with more velocity coming down the road.

+LHP PJ Piesko (Oxford HS) committed to Oakland University.  Like Schilling, Piesko was waiting on a velocty jump to get Division I programs excited about him.  When the velocity came, it really came. At the Unsigned Senior Games Piesko worked primarily between 81-83mph. A little more than a month later it all clicked, as Piesko was as high as 88mph.  Oakland may have found themselves a steal.

+RHP Phil Carey (Tecumseh HS) committed to Hillsdale at the beginning of the month.  Carey may not be the hardest thrower (80-84mph) but he can certainly pitch.  He has been a mainstay in the Tecumseh rotation and for the Adrian Post #275 American Legion team for several years.  Carey is an outstanding student at as well.

 

A few other notable commitments that have not attended a PBR event are:

+RHP William Kruse (Lutheran North HS) who committed to Hillsdale.

+RHP Kyle Bruce (Utica Eisenhower HS) committed to Saginaw Valley. 

+OF James Filipski (Utica Eisenhower HS) committed to Davenport.

+LHP/OF Taylor Curtis (Utica Eisenhower HS) committed to Northern Kentucky.

+RHP Evan Marquardt (Bullock Creek HS) committed to Ball State.

Interesting Notes

• Utica Eisenhower has five committed players. Dan Chmielewski (Michigan State), Paul Harper (Ball State), Filipski (Davenport), Curtis (Northern Kentucky), and Bruce (Saginaw Valley). 2014 RHP Joe Syms and 2015 INF Pete Zeimis will also most likely play at the college level.
• Bishop Foley also is loaded with commits.: Schilling (Xavier), Reid (Air Force), Baldwin (Wayne State), and Murley (Wayne State).
• West Michigan travel program Elite Baseball has produced several Division I arms in recent years including Leatherman (Central Michigan), Keegan Baar (Michigan State), Dakota Mekkes (Michigan State), and Michael Mokma (Michigan State).