Raade Confident About Making An Impact At Western

Trevor Raade LHP / 1B / Zeeland East, MI / 2024

ZEELAND - The affection that Western Michigan head coach Billy Gernon has for his school made an impact on Trevor Raade’s college decision.

“Not many are as passionate about the culture,” the Zeeland East junior said about the WMU mentor. “It’s crazy how coach Gernon knows everything about his players. I’m excited about what’s going to go on there in the future.”

The eighth-ranked 2024 left-handed pitcher in the state will get an up close look at what takes place at the Mid-American Conference school after making a commitment to be part of the Western Michigan program.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play MLB but I realized that playing college baseball comes first,” Raade related. “That’s when I started getting serious with it. My freshman year I started to get looks and could go play in college if I worked my tail off.”

Last summer Western saw Raade pitch in a tournament game.

“I pitched seven innings and threw 70 pitches,” the 46th-ranked junior in Michigan reflected. “That’s when they started to really like me. I have an old high school teammate that goes there and my high school coach’s brother-in-law coaches there.”

Interest continued to grow during his recruitment.

“They asked me to come on a visit to a football game and on another to a hockey game,” Raade noted. “The offer came right before spring break. After talking with coach Gernon, two-and-a-half weeks later I accepted.”

There was a lot to like about the 17-year-old southpaw from Western Michigan’s perspective.

“They really like my offspeed, and my craftyness on the mound,” Raade explained. “I look effortless. They also like how my pitches move, and my location.”

A commitment brought an end to a recruiting process that took off his ninth grade year.

“My first two PBRs freshman year really helped get my numbers out there to send to coaches,” Raade said. “My PBR profile helped coaches get the gist of who I am. Getting recruited is fun, but really stressful. You feel you have to perform every day. It’s a blessing to have it over with now and be able to play D-I. Not many get to do it.”

Improvement proved vital in making it happen.

“The summer before my sophomore year I was smaller, so I pushed to gain weight in the offseason so I could gain velo,” the 6-0 195-pounder related. “I gained two to three miles an hour just from mechanics. The weight rook really helped me be able to play at the D-I level.”

There was more that played a part in Raade’s baseball journey to Division I.

“My parents spent so much money on my baseball, they’ve definitely been the biggest part of my baseball career,” Raade explained. “Matt Sattler, my high school coach, started my recruitment. He brought me into his office and we wrote down a list of schools.”

There were others that Raade credited.

“All my teammates pushed me to get better,” Raade noted. “My pitching and hitting coaches Bobby Franks, Kyle Clark and Dave Clark  helped with mechanics, arm care, velocity and pitch mix. They helped me with it all.”

That help has Raade ready for his life after high school with accounting or civil engineering the potential majors for the 4.04 student who is thrilled to have made a commitment to a college one hour from home.

“It felt really good to commit,” Raade said. “I’m very confident in my commitment with coach Gernon. It’s nice to know where I’m going and to have the weight off my shoulders. It’s great to be committed, now I can just go out and play.”

The Zeeland East junior believes he can make an impact once arriving at Western.

“I’m a good left-handed pitcher with offspeed, someone that can throw five pitches in the zone,” Raade said. “I think I can help them tremendously, I want to help them win the MAC championship. I also want to get involved in the community of Kalamazoo. I want people to know I’m good on the field but want to be even better off the field.”

There is more that Raade looks forward to when it comes to college baseball.

“I’m excited to play against all the best players from their high schools,” Raade concluded. “I’m looking forward to facing all that really good competition.”