Penswick Excited About The Challenges Ahead At Army

PLYMOUTH, Ma. - Robbie Penswick Jr., likes a good challenge. The Sturgis East High School junior knows that will be the case in college after making a commitment to the United States Military Academy.

“It’s definitely a school that will challenge me,” Penswick said of the university located in West Point, N.Y., four hours from his home in Massachusetts. “But it’s going to set me up to be successful after college. That’s why I picked it. I think it’s a really good fit. I want to challenge myself academic-wise, physically and mentally.”

The 54th-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in New England selected Army over UMass-Amherst and Virginia Commonwealth.

“When I was there I met the players and really liked the team a lot and liked the coaches a lot,” Penswick noted. “I liked the whole facilities they have. The school is really prestigious.”

Penswick was first seen by Army while in Florida last September and the communication built from there.

“I was pitching and they let my coach know they wanted to talk,” Penswick reflected. “I talked with assistant coach (Matthew) Kinney the next day and we stayed in touch after that every week.

“Then I went to a camp in January or February and they saw me pitch there. A week later they offered me a spot.”

The 161st-ranked junior in New England made an impression on the coaching staff with the Patriot League program.

“They like how I threw with low effort and how the ball jumps out of my hand,” Penswick related. “They also like my personality.”

Improvement that included getting bigger helped the cause for the 6-0 175-pounder, who 18 months ago was 5-10 and weighed 145.

“I gained a lot of weight and muscle  last summer and winter,” Penswick said. “I hit the gym constantly and with the gain my velo jumped. I was mid-70s a year-and-a-half ago and now I’m mid-to-high-80s, topping at 88 over the winter.”

It has played a major role in the 17-year-old reaching long-time aspirations to play at the next level.

“College baseball was my main goal playing as a kid,” Penswick pointed out. “I was thinking about the military and wanted to go to Army for four years now but didn’t think I could get into West Point. Then in the last year I gained weight and velocity and Division I was a possibility. Once they called, that’s what I wanted.”

Business is the planned major for Penswick, a 3.85 student thrilled about the opportunity to go to the U.S. Military Academy.

“It was really exciting when I made the decision,” Penswick said. “It kind of blew me away. It was definitely a big step to commit and I was really happy after I did it.”

The 26th-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in New England to make a college commitment looks forward to what lies ahead with the challenges that Army presents.

“I can’t wait for the experience and competitiveness battling for a position,” Penswick concluded. “I’m looking forward to meeting different kids and developing relationships with my teammates and coaches.”