UConn The Next Step On Baseball Journey For Skiffington

Traigh Skiffington RHP / East Longmeadow, MA / 2025

EAST LONGMEADOW, Ma. - Traigh Skiffington has always been on a life course that included baseball.

“Since I was five-years-old I’ve thought about it,” Skiffington said in reference to playing after high school. “Baseball, baseball, baseball has been my whole life. I played travel ball at eight, then was on a big national team at 12. Since I can remember I’ve wanted to make it to college baseball and play as long as I can.”

It is no wonder a college commitment to Connecticut is a special feeling for the East Longmeadow High School junior.

“It’s a big part of your future all in one decision,” Skiffington explained. “There was a lot of talking with family and coaches but I never looked back. I’m so excited to get there.”

In early April Skiffington went to his first UConn baseball game. It is just the beginning for the 39th-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in New England.

“Around here there aren’t many programs I was interested in, UConn is the closest one,” noted Skiffington, who remembers being followed by UConn on Twitter in eighth grade but there was no conversation. “A lot of schools became interested in me my sophomore year.”

That was when Connecticut also entered the picture.

“UConn saw me for the first time at the Area Code tryouts and after that reached out to my high school coach,” Skiffington reflected. “Then they saw me throw in Georgia and invited me to a camp. I had my best outing ever there. In talking to the coach after that, it secured my thoughts on the program.”

Virginia Tech and North Carolina were also schools being considered, but none had the interest of UConn.

“They were the only school really pushing to get me there,” noted Skiffington, who especially liked what he found in the coaching staff at the Big East Conference university.

“The one thing I appreciate is, while I throw hard, they like my control,” Skiffington pointed out. “Their weekend guys don’t throw past 91-93. It shows they care about pitchers and not just throwers. They really like that I can throw any pitch in any count.”

There is also a matter of reaching a higher level of pitching.

“I really like coach (Joshua) MacDonald, the pitching coach there,” the 17th-rated junior RHP in Massachusetts said. “He’s an awesome dude and so knowledgeable. How they develop pitchers, I really look forward to that.”

There has been a lot of improvement made in his game to get to this point.

“I’ve always thrown harder than others, but when they caught up with me I worked on my slider a lot,” Skiffington explained. “That sets me apart from others my age, to go along with my change and fastball.”

Even recent hip surgery proved advantageous.

“Four months ago I had surgery for an extra bone in my hip and that allowed me to look at the analytical parts of the game to help me succeed on the field,” Skiffington noted. 

It has the 105th-ranked junior in New England excited about what he can bring to UConn.

“The best quality in me is that I’m a leader,” the 6-1 190-pounder said. “I really like to win, I hate losing. I plan to go in and help the team win in any way I can. I’m a guy who will work his tail off to get better every day.”

It is something Skiffington did throughout what, at times, was a difficult recruiting process.

“I started playing for Select Baseball in New Jersey at 12U and that’s when it all became about college,” Skiffington explained. “But I didn’t talk with anyone at that point, and then freshman year Covid happened. The whole process was quite frustrating. Nothing seemed to work out.”

However, come Aug. 1, the 42nd-ranked 2025 in Massachusetts found out that interest was there.

“Looking back on it, not a lot of people get to do this,” the 17-year-old said. “On Aug. 1 I got a lot of calls, and I’m thinking this is a great time in my life. I get to continue to play the game I love.”

Coaches Stephen Cline and Jason Ferber along with his parents were recognized by Skiffington for being influential in his baseball journey.

“My parents sacrificed too much to get me where I am today,” Skiffington said. “Every coach I ever had helped me out with something.” 

It has Skiffington, who carries a 3.6 GPA and is looking at a major in psychology or criminal justice, anxious to see what takes place in his next step of life at a school located just 40 minutes from home.

“I’m excited to go to a top 25 public university that’s top 25 in the rankings,” concluded Skiffington, who had never been to UConn before his recruitment and “was surprised it was so close” to home. “It’s going to be fun competing with a bunch of guys that have the same goals as me.”