Decision To Turn To Pitching Pays Off For Wilkes

Declan Wilkes RHP / C / BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS SCHOOL, MA / 2025

READING, Ma. - The decision to try pitching has changed the outlook Declan Wilkes had on playing college baseball.

The result?

The Buckingham Browne and Nichols School senior is a Lehigh commit.

“It started last winter,” Wilkes related. “I’ve been a catcher but I wanted to make a change. I still caught during high school season, but in the summer I started to pitch and put everything together. I threw 30 innings in the summer and went to the (Senior) Future Games.

“A couple days after, Lehigh wanted to see me throw again. They saw me throw at the Princeton camp and after that I went to their campus. They told me I had a spot and committed a couple of days after.”

So what made the 35th-ranked 2025 in Massachusetts decide to turn to pitching?

“I was always decent at it but never thought of it as my main thing,” Wilkes explained. “I threw to a couple of batters last fall and there was a radar gun and I was 81-83 without instruction.

“When I was little I had some pitching lessons, but didn’t continue them. After throwing in the fall, I went back to the same guy, Tom House. Over the spring I wasn’t on the mound much but I threw a lot of side bullpens. I didn’t see all the great work pay off until summer. I got more comfortable and ended the summer throwing 86-89.”

With the success came inspiration to play after high school.

“I never thought much about playing college baseball,” the 16th-rated senior right-handed pitcher in Massachusetts admitted. “I enjoy baseball but not to the extent I wanted to do four more years competing. I wanted to go as a normal student, but I got feedback that I could do it. That was after I threw in the fall. Once I got to the point of pitching, I enjoyed baseball more. I love getting on the mound.”

The opportunity to pitch at the Senior Future Games came late.

“Throughout the first half of the summer I was doing well,” Wilkes explained. “I was coming back from Florida and I got a phone call from one of my coaches, Steve McCarthy, who said a spot opened up at the Future Games. It was a last-minute thing, but I thought it would be crazy to miss it. I went there and performed well. It was cool to see how I did against players from a certain region. I struck a handful out, allowed no base runners and hit 89.

“It was great to see the hard work pay off. I haven’t stopped working since. I realize this is going to be a lot more challenging.”

The 85th-ranked 2025 in New England is of the belief he can get the job done at the next level pitching in the Patriot League.

“I have a different perspective on pitching,” the 17-year-old noted. “Most guys are going in after  focusing on it, but I was a catcher. I can think from the other side, how to work the batters and what to throw.”

Admittedly, there was little interest in the 35th-rated senior right-handed pitcher in New England until recently.

“Over the summer I talked with NESCAC and high-academic D-III schools in the northeast,” Wilkes related. “Lehigh and a couple other D-I schools popped up after the Future Games and Lehigh was where I wanted to go.

“It’s high academics while competing at the highest level in college baseball, Division I. Being able to compete at the highest level is something I wanted to do and Lehigh gave me that opportunity.”

Lehigh sees the 5-8 155-pounder fitting in well.

“I’m not the biggest guy, but they mentioned they have similar arms on the staff,” Wilkes noted. “They like small workhorse guys with a chip on their shoulders.”

Wilkes pointed to Wayne Mazzoni with helping him “navigate the recruiting process” in an unlikely journey to play college baseball at the university located five hours from home.

“When I committed, at first it didn’t set in,” Wilkes reflected. “It took a couple of days to realize where I was going. It’s such a good feeling. It’s nice to get the chance to play baseball there.”

That is something Wilkes, a 3.77 student who plans to major in engineering at Lehigh, never expected a year ago.

“The idea of pitching was never there until recently,” Wilkes said. “It’s definitely a cool opportunity, something not everyone gets to experience.”