By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

The PA Class of 2014 is top heavy with catching talent with 17 catchers ranked in the top 100 spots. Catcher Brandyn Smith (Cedar Cliff HS), ranked No. 48 in the class, became the 10th prospect at the position to announce his commitment recently to Bloomsburg University.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect has shown pop times that hover around 2.00 and excellent arm strength (81 mph behind the plate, 91 mph from the outfield). Smith also has displayed the ability to be a quality hitter at the next level with some power potential. 

According to Smith, "After my visit I knew Bloomsburg was the right place. I really liked the campus and they offer a highly accredited degree program in my interest area." Smith becomes the 3rd prospect in the top 100 to announce his intentions to play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), joining C Christian Porterfield (No. 33, Slippery Rock) and 2B/SS Ted Williams (No. 60, Millersville). "I was looking at schools that had coaches that caught and had behind the plate experience. The Bloomsburg coaching staff has two former catchers. Being a catcher that wants to always get better, this was very important to me. I also realized that in each of my four years of high school, the best graduating player on my team has gone on to play in the PSAC. The conference has great baseball and is full of opportunities."

Smith did not always have his heart set on playing in the PSAC however. He chose Bloomsburg over a number of other schools that he had on his short list. Smith had also been considering VMI, West Virginia, Binghamton, Fordham and Mount Union.

The process of deciding on a college was a lengthy one for Smith. He had made countless visits and had attended camps at a number of schools prior to making his final decision. Bloomsburg first saw Smith play at a Prep Baseball Report event, the PA Top Prospect Games in June. When asked about his experience at PBR events Smith responded, "All the PBR events have college coaches there, usually more than most summer tournaments. Coaches that I talked to know PBR. I had PBR scouts talking to college coaches and emailing schools about me. Having videos and measurements on my profile page was also a big help."

The PSAC continues to make strides in landing top recruits from the state. At 18 teams, the conference has the largest athletic membership in the NCAA at any level. The PSAC landed 15 prospects from the PBR Class of 2013 top 100 and is off to a good start in the Class of 2014. In the past three years PSAC members Shippensburg, West Chester and Millersville have all made trips to the NCAA Division II World Series. West Chester returned as the Division II national champions in 2012. Seven players from the PSAC were drafted in the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft this past June.