By Mike Penn

Three months.  Three months changed everything for 2014 recruit Nathan Morris (Oxford HS). "No one knew who I was three months ago,” the recent Michigan State commit said. He is a testament to how fast the recruiting process can be and how hard work can pay off, but the according to Morris his process started long before that.

Coming into the start of his sophomore season Morris, a right hand pitcher at Oxford HS, wasn’t all that different from anyone else in the 2014 class.  He was a solid baseball player. He stood at 5-foot-9, maybe 5-foot-10 if he stretched it.  His fastball was average, sitting between 79-82 mph.  What was different, however, was Morris’ drive to be better.  He was determined to climb. 

Morris climbed both with his fastball and his physical stature as well.  He grew 4-6 inches this past year alone and now he stands at 6-foot-4, 170-pounds.  To go along with his height Morris saw a considerable jump in his fastball.  By mid-summer his fastball was in the mid-80’s eclipsing his goal to touch 85 mph.  Once he broke that barrier he just kept going.  By the end of the summer he was touching 90 mph.

We asked Morris about his rise in stock and what he attributed it too.  “I never broke from my plan of long toss and weight lifting.  I worked out six days a week and took Sundays off.”

When asked about his recruiting process, Morris said, “I loved Coach Sikes and Coach Boss.  The whole staff treated me like family.”  It didn’t hurt that the Michigan State staff took quick notice of the budding talent in front of them, and they moved fast to make him a Spartan.  According to Morris, Oakland and Eastern Michigan were also in the mix.

If you think Morris is satisfied with where he is as a pitcher, Morris responded: “No way. My goal for next year is to be 90-93 with my fastball and I need to work on my secondary pitches.”  Considering his recent rise in stock, we certainly wouldn’t bet against him.