A Lot To Consider For Two-Sport Standout Pydyn

Jaden Pydyn OF / RHP / Detroit Catholic Central, MI / 2025

NORTHVILLE - While Jaden Pydyn is deciding on baseball or football in his future, there is more that the Detroit Catholic Central junior is looking at when it comes to college.

“A good education, like Northwestern or Dartmouth,” Pydyn explained. “I want to go somewhere that I love the environment, the non-sports side of things.”

But sports are obviously important.

“I don’t care how far away it is, I want to go somewhere I can make a big impact as a player,” Pydyn said.

There was a lot of interaction with schools after the second-rated 2025 uncommitted outfielder in Michigan competed at the PBR Future Games.

“It was exciting,” Pydyn reflected back to Aug. 1, the first day of contact permitted with college coaches in his high school class. “I didn’t know who would reach out, but when I woke up there were a couple of messages. It’s been exciting talking to all the coaches.”

Northwestern and Dartmouth along with Mid-American Conference schools Toledo, Ohio University, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan have shown an interest in the 16-year-old.

“They all saw me at the Future Games,” Pydyn related. “Eastern and Toledo have been to my games in the summer.”

While there have been no offers or visits, the 27th-ranked junior in the state has a trip to Northwestern planned in January.

“After the Future Games football season started, so I did nothing with exposure,” Pydyn explained. “As soon as football ended, I made a list of college camps to attend so they can see me play in person after the holidays.”

Football is also being considered by Pydyn, a running back/quarterback/safety who ran for 20 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards for his high school team that lost in the second round of the playoffs this year.

“As a two-sport athlete I’m keeping all my options open,” the 6-1 200-pounder noted. “Football recruiting is also opening for me. I don’t have any visits set up for football yet, but I’ve been invited to spring practice at Eastern Michigan and Boston College, and Dartmouth also wants to see me on campus. I’ve got to get on college campuses to see what fits me best. I want to explore everything. I’m open to playing two sports in college.”

Adam Goodwin, PBR Michigan Director of Scouting, sees Pydyn making a big impact at the next level.

“Jaden brings much value to a program with athleticism, speed and his hit tool,” Goodwin said. “Consistently registering exit velocities in the mid- to upper-90s, he could be a fixture down the road in the middle of a lineup for a lucky program. Look for him to make another jump this spring for Detroit Catholic Central.”

Pydyn, who carries a 3.97 GPA and is leaning toward a major in business, is working hard to get better.

“I go to High Performance lifting and hitting five days a week and do agility work two days,” Pydyn pointed out. “I’ve gained 10 pounds of muscle so far and I’m up to 200.

“Right now I’m doing a velo program for arm speed in the outfield and working to get my 60 time down,” Pydyn added. “Colleges look at that. I run 6.97 and they want to see that get lower. As I get stronger and bigger, I want to get faster as well.”

It has been an enjoyable recruiting process to date.

“It’s not been stressful at all, I think it’s exciting,” Pydyn said. “It’s what I expected. I knew it would be a longer process than others, I didn’t expect offers after the Future Games. I’m just glad to have the opportunity to be recruited.”

The fourth-rated 2025 outfielder in Michigan was pleased with his performance at the Future Games.

“The Future Games has the best players in the country and I felt I belonged there,” Pydyn noted. “It’s something I was just born to do.”

The 11th-ranked uncommitted junior in the state believes he can be a valuable asset at the next level.

“I’m a super athletic outfielder who can also play third base and pitch,” Pydyn said. “I pride myself in being a very aggressive hitter that can bring juice to the lineup.”

A love for the game is another attribute for Pydyn, who began to consider the possibility of college sports at a young age.

“Since I started playing in first grade I’ve thought about it,” Pydyn explained. “As I got into middle school I knew it was something I wanted to do. It started to become realistic when I made the varsity team as a freshman. I trained with guys that are now playing in college.” 

A timeframe to commit has not been determined.

“If I commit for baseball, I see it happening by next winter,” Pydyn said. “I’ll find out a lot more this winter at camps.”

As for two sports, Pydyn is still uncertain.

“I’ve loved football and baseball my whole life,” Pydyn concluded. “I’m open to anything and everything.”