By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

The first sign of autumn appeared in North Carolina this week as early-morning temperatures dipped into the high 30s and the highs maxing out in the 60s. I crisscrossed the Triangle area this weekend, following Chandler World and the Evoshield Canes as they each played four games. I’ll have more on what I saw tomorrow, but the highlight was RHP Noah Burkholder (Crown Point HS, IN), who pitched Sunday morning for the Canes. It was a good outing as the Louisville recruit allowed just three hits while striking out seven in four innings of work. His fastball sat in the high 80s, touching 90-91 mph, and he showed a good breaking ball too.

Now, let’s answer a reader’s question…

Why do many 2017 recruits feel the need to verbally commit when so much can change on a college team in the next three years (coaching changes, position changes on roster, draft prospects, etc.)? What is the purpose?
This question landed in my inbox early last week and I honestly laughed aloud when I read it. Not because it’s a bad or silly question. It’s a great question and one that we also routinely ask, as do some coaches. I don’t know that there is a clear answer, but there are some factors that may lead to such an early decision.