Dakota Mekkes, RHP, Jenison, 2013

Dakota Mekkes is one of the most intriguing prospects to recently surface in the 2013 class. He will be sure to check in on the upcoming expanded rankings. At the Open ID Showcase he was 85-88mph with his fastball and consistently put up 87's and 88's. Up until this point Mekkes has been relatively unknown but has started seeing large jumps in his velocity which in return has meant increased attention. There is certainly upside with Mekkes as he stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs in at a solid 225-pounds. Becuase he is a late bloomer his arm is young and yet it works well.  

PBR: Where are you currently in the recruiting process?
Mekkes: I have been talking to a few D1 and D2 schools and plan to take college visits this fall.  

PBR: What level of baseball do you see yourself playing at the next level?
Mekkes: I hope for the best and want to play somewhere D1, but I would be perfectly fine playing D2 somewhere.

PBR: What schools are you most interested in right now, and why? 
Mekkes: Central Michigan University, I visited their school and loved their campus, they also are a great fit for me academically.

PBR: You have been under-the-radar for the most part, why do you think that is? 
Mekkes: I think it's due to the fact that this summer was the first time I started to go to showcases and prospect camps. I also recently started a workout program down at Elite and that caused a huge increase in my velocity as a pitcher.

PBR: Have you received some interest since attending the showcase?
Mekkes: Yes, multiple D3 and D2 schools have since contacted me or my coaches as well as a few D1 universities.

PBR: What aspect of your game do you believe needs the most improvement?
Mekkes: I feel like I really need to develop a put away pitch, I seem to get a lot of hitters to 0-2 or 1-2 counts and struggle to put them away after that.

PBR: As a player what is your greatest strength?
Mekkes: My command of my curveball, to me no matter what the count is, I always have confidence that I could throw it for a strike.

PBR: What are your high school team goals for the 2012 season?
Mekkes: Jenison has a very talented team coming up this next year, with multiple returning seniors I honestly feel like we could make a run at the State Title.

PBR: What is your GPA? ACT or SAT score?
Mekkes: My GPA is 3.4 and my ACT score was a 28.

PBR: Have you decided on a major or narrowed it down?
Mekkes: I am looking into either Sports Management or something in the field of Health Sciences.