To start the week we look at a St. Cloud State commit, Ean VonWald from Foley, MN. Ean is a big bodied kid at 6'2, 195lbs and growing. Ean came on strong during his junior season and throughout the summer. Word is that he has grown a lot since we last saw him, most notably lowering his 60 time to the low 7's and hovering around a 2.00 for his average pop time. The left handed hitting catcher also has made improvement in his exit velo category, consistently working in the high 80's - low 90's. Considering his build this is not surprising and will not be surprising if he continues to add once he steps on campus at St. Cloud State, a program known for turning out some power at the plate. We thank Ean for his thorough answers and wish the best to Ean going into his senior year and in the future with the Huskies!!

PBR: Why did you choose St. Cloud State?
SCSU is one of the premier baseball colleges in the Midwest. The team consistently plays at a high level, including advancing to the NCAA tournament in 7 of the last 8 years. Coach Pat Dolan and his staff understand the game and how to bring the best out of the team and each player. Coach Dolan has a proven track record of developing players and as I have gotten to know him, genuinely cares about the guys on the team. The team has very positive team chemistry which is a huge part of having fun in the game. SCSU as a college is the second largest college in Minnesota and has an excellent reputation for getting a solid education. SCSU is also in my "back yard" which allows me to stay connected with family, friends and the community.

PBR: What other schools were you considering?
University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University-Mankato, and University of Minnesota Duluth

PBR: Where did the coaching staff first see you? How did your relationship develop with him (Phone calls, on-campus visits, etc.)?
Coach Dolan and his staff get out to high school games and saw me play. With the help of my mom and dad, I started to email and text him and did a video that I sent him. I talked with him after one of my high school games. I saw him at some of the showcases I did and I eventually went to one of his camps. He invited me to a college visit, St Cloud Rox game and dinner. I saw that he was invested in me as a person and a player. We have texted and talked on the phone when we can.

PBR: Was there one deciding factor that put your choice over the top?
The recruiting process has been pretty grueling. Lot's of texts, emails, showcases and camps. You hear lots of different things about coaches and programs, both good and bad. Some true, some partially true, some false on both sides of the equation. My parents and I contacted former players, current players and parents of players at the different colleges that were recruiting me. Probably the greatest deciding factor was talking with a parent of a current SCSU player. He shared about the camaraderie his son has experienced on the team and how much fun the parent camaraderie is. My spiritual life and relationship with God is very important to me and he shared about how many of the players and parents are going in a positive spiritual direction on their journey through life. The last thing I want is to end up at a place or on a team where every player is just living for the weekend, their next party or buzz. There are bigger things in life I want to pursue and know I will need positive peer influence around me to do that and I believe that will happen at SCSU.

PBR: Who has helped you the most to get to where you are today?
My high school coach Mike Beier who is a student of the game, former college pitcher and still pitching amateur baseball into his 40's has pushed me to learn all the nuances that can happen while playing baseball. He is a perfectionist and purist with baseball who has developed my baseball I.Q. He has taught and modeled not to be selfish, but to think of the team first. He started a youth baseball program here in Foley which has allowed me to learn and be a part of a winning program. Also my mom and dad who constantly encourage me to pursue my dreams and that it takes hard work, dedication and commitment to the long haul for good things to happen.

PBR: What plans do you have in store for you in your freshman season at your new school?
I'm pretty sure I will be redshirting as a freshman. The team will be heavily weighted with Seniors during my redshirt freshman season. This will allow me to adjust to college living, get bigger and stronger and put some credits in towards my major. It also gives me another year of playing a sport I love. I plan on rooming with one of my friends who I played club ball with through the SWAT baseball organization. He may also red-shirt and is a lot "smarter" than me which should help me when I study.

PBR: What advice would you give to others that are currently or will soon be going through the recruiting process?
I attended my first showcase which was a PBR event during the winter of my sophomore year.  I wasn't in really good baseball shape and it showed. I should have spent more time working on things prior to attending, but it was difficult to do with other sports going on.  It was a good experience for what was to come, but I may have been better served to do one during summer or baseball season.  Having the experience of a showcase is something I would recommend to everyone.  Be in shape, but also go to the first one and request that the information not be released to the public unless you knock it out of the park.  Do it for the pressure of the experience, not the data because the first one was pretty rough and nerve racking for me.  Then go to at least one more during summer ball when you are in good baseball shape for the video and the stats to be released to colleges .I would do that during the summer or fall of junior year.  Because I didn't perform well in my first video, I ended up having to make one on my own which I am fortunate my mom was able to help me do, but it came out during the summer before my senior year, which is a little bit late.  My dad also helped me market myself through contacting all the schools I was interested in via email and sending them my video.  I got a lot of response from that which really helped me narrow my options.  Once I figured out that I wanted to play ball in the midwest I targeted those schools.   I followed up with those who showed interest and got back to me.  I narrowed my choices to 4 schools through that process and went to their prospect camps.  The camps were fun but pressured filled and required some travel and expense.  I steered away from any of the ones that were developmental as I wanted more of a showcase opportunity and I was able to get stats from all of them too.

PBR: Are you competing in any fall or winter sports?
I play football and am the captain of our team. I am a two year, two way starter at DE and TE. I also wrestle and our team has gone to state for 10 years straight. I was a starter on last years team which placed 4th in Class AA.

PBR: In a few sentences, tell us about your high school team in terms of goals for the season and strengths your team possesses that will be pivotal in helping to get there (pitching, defense, offense, chemistry, etc.).
Our goal is to win the Granite Ridge Conference, to get to the state tournament and win it. I am the last remaining player who was on our undefeated State Championship Legion Team that won the Central Plains Division II Regional in 2015, however the rest of the team was a part of our VFW team which placed second at state last year. We also made it to the section final last year from the winners bracket, but lost 2 games to be eliminated from going to state. I believe we have the pitching and experience to make a really good run at the state title this year. We have played baseball together for a lot of years and have experienced the pressure of state tournament play. We are still young as we have only 2 seniors on the team and our full infield and pitching staff are back from last year.

 

 

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