With Interest On The Rise, Phinney Commits To Pitt

Jackson Phinney C / OF / Noble and Greenough, MA / 2020

MARSHFIELD, Ma. - Five years ago, Jackson Phinney was an infielder with little notoriety. Now the Noble & Greenough senior is a catcher with a Division I scholarship.

“I played shortstop or somewhere in the infield until five years ago,” noted Phinney, who made a commitment to the University of Pittsburgh in July. “My old summer coach (Matt Greenberg) got me into catching and I learned a lot from him.”

Interest in the 6-1 225-pounder eventually began at the start of 2019.

“Up until this winter I had not gone to a showcase,” explained Phinney, an unranked player a year ago now rated 10th in New England’s 2020 class. “Then I went to the (PBR) Procase in February and I got my name out there. Then I went to another PBR event and then I went to one in June.”

Rated the Top Positional Prospect at the New England Top Prospect Games at the start of summer, Phinney also credited high school head coach Rob Murray with playing a big role in his recruitment, which included just two college visits.

“I went to Michigan State in February, that was my first one ever,” Phinney noted.

The other visit came in early July when the number one senior catcher in New England took an hour-long flight to Pitt after Ty Megahee. the college’s recruiting coordinator, expressed to Murray his interest in Phinney.

“It was awesome,” Phinney said of the visit to Pitt. “I really liked the campus and the city. The coaching staff was awesome. Almost all of them are new and they will turn the program around. I really liked the baseball indoor facility and they’re going to redo some other things.”

A commitment followed a few days later.

“It’s always been my goal to play college baseball,” Phinney said. “I just had to find the right fit and find someone that believed in me and sees the same things in me that I do.”

That was the case with Pittsburgh.