By Chris Webb

While his recruitment may be in its infancy, little else of Nick Vespi on the diamond is of novice level.

In an autumn where he is pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals' Scout Team (the Midwest Redbirds, coached by Brian Hopkins), the Eastwood left-handed pitcher is emerging as one of the state's top pitchers.

As a sophomore.

In 2011, a season in which Eastwood made a surprising run for the Bluffton District championship (the team entered the tournament with a 4-16 record before falling 6-5 to Oak Harbor in the Tiffin Regional semifinal), Vespi went 2-3 with a 3.60 ERA, 76 strikeouts and 44 walks in 55 innings, a 1.51 WHIP, and .158 batting average against.

Taking the experience gained from the spring varsity season, Vespi played for a pair of elite summer teams, as well as participating in a prestigious event.

“I played for the Motor City Hit Dogs under Coach John Salter at the beginning of the summer and then finished up playing with the Midland Braves under Coach Gary Simon,” Vespi said. “In between playing for Motor City and Midland, I also played with USSSA All American 15u Team for the Gold Medal Games under Coach Luis Alicea and Coach DJ Wabick.”

“This fall I played with the Midwest Redbirds under Coach Brian Hopkins where I learned even more about the game.”

Playing for the high exposure travel teams, along with possessing great talent and a matured frame, Vespi has caught the eye of many collegiate programs and the process of being courted by college programs has begun.

“Because I am only a sophomore, I have received only invitations to complete questionnaires or attend ID Camps so far”, Vespi who has a fastball that can already reach the mid-80s said. “I am interested in SEC and ACC schools mainly, however I don’t rule out any of them,” Vespi added as he mentioned the following schools as ones showing interest: Michigan, Ohio State, Kent State, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Florida State, University of Northwestern Ohio, Florida Gulf Coast, Tennessee Tech, Michigan State, and Florida.

Says Vespi of what he is looking for in a school, a university that will provide him the best opportunity to receive a quality education with a highly marketable degree and the chance to compete at a high level athletically.

To receive a quality education is high on Vespi's list. When asked of areas he is concentrating on, he first mentions academics followed by developing his baseball skills as a pitcher and hitter.

More specifically, when asked of his goals for the 2011-2012 school year, Vespi said the following:

I have two separate sets of goals; team goals and personal goals. My team goals include that we go farther in the post season than we did last year. I plan to do my part to make sure that this happens. I plan to set an example both in the classroom and on the field for my teammates.

My personal goals can be divided into a couple of different areas.
 
-First, there are my goals academically. I would like to make the honor roll every semester and continue progressing towards my diploma with the highest GPA possible.

-Second, as a hitter, I want to keep my strikeout ratio down below 10%. I would also like to improve my power numbers over last year and learn to drive the ball more consistently to the gaps. As a pitcher, I would like to have at least an 8:1 K to BB ratio and give my team a quality start every outing by pitching at least into the 6th inning every game keeping my pitch count low.  I have learned I can do this by hitting my spots and being consistent.

That Vespi has such refined goals speaks to the competitiveness, his determination, and make-up that combined with his physical attributes makes him one of the Midwest's top underclassmen. That said, when asked of his favorite baseball moment Vespi says:

“My most memorable moment on the diamond is every time I get a chance to get out there and play.  My passion is baseball so I have many memorable moments good and bad.”