Shurtleff looks forward to the challenges at Penn

MEDFIELD, Ma. - Thomas Shurtleff knew from the beginning that the University of Pennsylvania had what he was looking for in a school and baseball program.

“From day one in talking to them it was clear to me they created a culture of winning and a culture of growth,” explained the Medfield junior. “I’m excited to be in one of the most competitive cultures in the Ivy League. That’s something that I want to be part of … that and the Penn education.”

The recruitment did not come quickly in the eyes of the 27th-rated 2022 right-handed pitcher in New England.

“I’d been talking to them for roughly a year by the time they offered,” reflected Shurtleff. “It was a long patient process of getting my SAT down and going to PBR events to get my name out to coaches. During covid it was important to go to these events so they can see you to replicate as much as you can.”

The 6-2 195-pounder was able to overcome the inability to be seen in person due to the restrictions in place while showing improvement along the way.

“My velo was 88 by the time they offered,” Shurtleff noted. “It took lots of hard work and a daily routine of staying focused in achieving that goal.”

Most of the Ivy League schools along with William & Mary had Shurtleff on their radar before Penn moved to the front.

“Penn had everything I could ever want,” pointed out Shurtleff. “It was an opportunity to fit our needs and I look forward to being part of what they have to offer.”

There was a lot for Penn to like in the 91st-rated junior in New England as well.

“I’m the last pitcher committed to that class,” related Shurtleff about the Penn recruiting class of 2022 graduates. “They see me as a competitor. They see me as somebody that can get the job done.”

The prospects of playing baseball in college is a more recent development for Shurtleff.

“I really can’t pinpoint when it was,” Shurtleff said about when moving on to the next level became a possibility. “There was a game freshman summer when I was throwing 80-81 and one of the coaches on the other team said he thought I could definitely go D-I. I hadn’t ever thought about it up until then. After that it became something to work toward.”

A year later, the idea started to become more realistic.

“I was at a PBR event for the Hurricanes in February of 2020 and hit 84 which was the highest on my team,” Shurtleff noted. “I saw then where I stand with my players my age and I realized if I put in the work and stayed dedicated on this path what could happen. To play at Penn is awesome.”

There was, admittedly, plenty of help in reaching the goal.

“My parents have been there every single day,” Shurtleff pointed out. “I have a great pitching coach, Ronnie Glenn, who went to Penn. He really helped me mature as a person and an athlete.

“Now I look forward to meeting the coaches and having them influence me as a person in the future.”

Shurtleff understands the demands ahead with athletics and academics at an Ivy League school.

“I look forward to embracing the challenges at Penn,” Shurtleff said. “They’ve created a culture of winning and getting better and I look forward to being in that surrounding and in a position with very competitive academics and athletics that will make me a better-rounded person at the end of the day.”

Long-range goals are to coach and be a general manager, with business management or sport management potential majors at Penn for Shurtleff, who has a 4.5 weighted GPA and scored a 1415 on the SAT.

“I like to think of myself as a good teammate, a guy that people can rely on and wants to help the team the best he can,” Shurtleff said of what he feels he can bring to the program.

The feeling once a commitment was made to Penn is still hard to grasp according to Shurtleff.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Shurtleff concluded. “I haven’t ever been there to see the field because of covid, so maybe once I get there and see it maybe it will sink in. But I’m so proud of myself and happy for the opportunity to compete at such a prestigious university.”