Bucknell Sees A Lot Of Potential In Right-Hander Muir

Reed Muir RHP / OF / Saline, MI / 2024

SALINE - The coaches at Bucknell see a “higher ceiling to reach” for Reed Muir and the Saline High School senior looks forward to making it happen at the Patriot League school in Lewisburg, Pa.

“The academics are a great fit,” Muir explained about his decision to make a commitment to Bucknell. “The coach’s philosophy makes a lot of sense to me and the campus is beautiful. It felt like home.”

A connection began after the 30th-rated 2024 right-handed pitcher in Michigan reached out via email.

“They responded and told me to come on a visit and a camp in the fall,” Muir reflected. “I did well, and they said they wanted to see more. They knew I had a ton of growth to go and the growth eventually came. After that we had a few calls and I committed.”

The growth came in the way of more velocity.

“They said they wanted to see me add a couple miles per hour and more command,” Muir related. “I give a lot of credit to my coach Ryan Ford for helping me out with that.”

It is just part of the improvement that has been made by the 6-3 175-pounder.

“I just had to trust the work I was putting in,” explained Muir, who has put on three miles an hour on his fastball in the past year. “I did something every day to get better. The command has gotten better as my mechanics smoothed out. I’m using a lot more legs, not arm, and it’s easier to stay strong.”

Bucknell came away impressed with what Muir had to show.

“They like how all my pitches compliment each other,” Muir said. “They like how I’m competitive and that I have room to grow.”

Hillsdale, Butler, Wayne State and Hope were other colleges being considered before Muir found what he was looking for at Bucknell.

“The academics, they have a strong engineering program,” Muir said about what put Bucknell over the top. “I also like the pitching coach and his philosophy.”

A commitment brought an end to a recruiting process that began to heat up at the end of summer for the 17-year-old.

“I had coaches watch me at PBR events,” Muir explained. “I wasn’t happy with the looks I was getting at the end of summer but I knew I just had to stay patient. I was in a great position to play college baseball. I realize it’s a blessing to be able to do that and I just had to stay patient and stay the course. Then things started to pick up when I hit a PR on the mound.”

Velo sitting at 88 and topping at 90 helped make the idea of playing college baseball become a certainty.

“I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little kid,” Muir said of playing at the next level. “Sophomore year when I started going to PBR events and had coaches watching was when it set in that this was going to be a reality.”

There was assistance along the way according to Muir, who pointed to Griff Green at USA Prime with helping in his recruiting process as well as his parents for being “super supportive during the whole process, letting me do it my way and supporting me in any way they could, from driving me to camps to paying for programs.”

The 99th-ranked senior in Michigan is confident he can make an impact at Bucknell.

“They’re gonna get a guy who shows up every day and works hard,” Muir noted. “Someone who is going to get the best out of himself and others.”

Muir, who carries a 4.2 GPA at Saline, is pleased to have a decision made with the start of college only a few months away.

“It’s a nice feeling knowing I’ll be at a place for four years that will get the best out of me,” Muir said. “It’s a place where I love the atmosphere and the coaches.”

There is a lot to look forward to once arriving at the university located seven hours from home. 

“I want to help elevate the program to make it a perennial contender in the Patriot League,” Muir concluded. “While I’m there I want to make it to the regionals two or three times.”