Szczepanski Caps Off Busy Summer With Va Tech Commitment

ESSEXVILLE - Talk about major decisions to make. That was the case for Tommy Szczepanski who, after an eventful few months, is now at Virginia Tech starting his freshman year of college.

“It was stressful to be honest,” the recent graduate of Essexville Garber High School said about decommitting from Michigan, getting drafted by the Royals, deciding not to turn pro and then making a commitment to Virginia Tech all in the matter of two months. “To be in that position is a blessing, you’ve got to look at it in a positive way. My support staff said it will work out and it did.”

While his parents, friends and coaches were helpful through it all, the decision to decommit from Michigan came after head coach Erik Bakich and top assistant Nick Schnabel took over the baseball program at Clemson.

“Michigan was always a dream school for me, but after the coaches left I decommitted a week later,” Szczepanski said. “Tracy Smith and the new staff reached out, and they’re great people, but at the end of the day it wasn’t the right fit so I decided this was a chance to reopen my recruitment and find a school that was a better fit for me.”

But then came the MLB Draft, with the Royals selecting the second-rated 2022 right-handed pitcher in Michigan in the 19th round with the 565th pick.

“I was blessed to be selected out of high school, it meant a lot,” Szczepanski noted. “It was a dream. Being drafted is a lot of kids’ dream and to do it out of high school is crazy. But the money wasn’t there with the Royals and I decided to open my recruitment.

“I took multiple visits to schools in every conference but at the end of the day the visit to Virginia Tech made my decision. They have an outstanding pitching coach, their head coach is an analytics coach and I met the AD. Having a whole support staff is important to me.”

Georgia and Central Michigan also offered the 6-4 206-pounder, who decided to cap off a memorable last year by committing to Virginia Tech.

“I’ve had a lot of great opportunities,” Szczepanski said of this past year. “Performing in the East Coast Pro helped with pro scouts and colleges in getting my name out there coming from a small city like Essexville. My parents sacrificed a lot having me play in Florida, Arizona, Georgia and Alabama to help me have opportunities I wouldn’t have without.”

Now the fourth-ranked 2022 in Michigan looks forward to making an impact at the Atlantic Coast Conference school located nine hours from his hometown.

“I’m the type of player that loves to compete,” Szczepanski explained. “I’ll get after it and whatever needs done I’m willing to do. The biggest thing is getting the trust of the coaching staff. There’s going to be a lot of talent and competition, but at the end of the day the coach will put the team in the best situation to win.”

There is more that the recently-turned 19-year-old is anticipating about when it comes to his time at Virginia Tech.

“I can’t wait to get into the program and build myself on and off the field, from the strength side to nutritional to the mental side of the game,” the 28th-ranked 2022 right-handed pitcher in the nation said.

The hard-throwing right-hander, who finished high school with a 3.5 GPA, is going to major in wealth management and financial planning at Virginia Tech.

“The facilities and campus are off the charts,” Szczepanski concluded. “The culture the coaching staff just continues to build, they’re producing all these MLB draft guys there. They’re really making a name in the ACC.”

Szczepanski hopes to do the same now that his eventful summer has come to an end.