Commitment Corner: 2018 RHP Steven Rossi (Corning HS)

PBR:  Tell us all about your recruitment process, when it started, and why you decided to commit to Suffolk University.

Rossi:  My recruiting process started when I was in about 9th grade. I had huge goals that were very hard to accomplish, and these aspirations pushed me to work harder. I had interest from many D3 programs and a few D1’s. Somewhere in the winter of my sophomore year and the summer going into my junior year, I lost all communication with the D1 schools that showed interest in me. In the summer in between my Junior and Senior year, I threw at the PBR New York Games. The Head Coach at Suffolk University was there to see me throw, and asked me to fill out their questionnaire and try to schedule a visit up in Boston. Before that visit, I visited one last D1 school in New York and a D3 near my hometown. I visited Suffolk twice before I committed. The academics and playoff caliber baseball program were the reasons I eventually decided on committing to Suffolk University.

PBR:  Looking at your skillset on the baseball field, what would you say your biggest strength at the next-level will be?

Rossi:  I think my biggest asset would have to be the movement on my pitches. I have natural life on my fastball that I have never really noticed until a few hitters and a coach or two pointed it out to me. This helps me be able to pound the zone and still inducing a ton of weak contact. I can now consistently throw my fastball in the mid 80’s, so I think this mix of decent velocity and late life will have positive effects on my performance on the mound.

PBR:  What’s your No. 1 priority going into the Winter in terms of getting prepared for next spring?

 Rossi:  I would have to say that my number one priority in the off-season is building up my arm strength and dexterity. I know that the more innings I can log during the Spring, the better of  a chance I can give my team to win down the stretch. If my arm is always hurting and I have to limit my innings or skip a start, I become a liability for my teammates and coaches.

PBR:  Who is your biggest influence when it comes to playing the game of baseball?

Rossi:  I would have to say my biggest influence when it comes to playing the game of baseball is my best friend, teammate, and brother Alex Bardo. He is a senior RHP that is committed to SUNY Cortland. He has made such a big impact on me and my baseball performance because of his incredible work ethic. He started going to the gym at 5:00am in the morning, six days a week starting when he was a Freshman in high school. He never made excuses about being tired or not feeling good, and this made me want to emulate his behavior. He is an incredible role model because of his competitiveness and hard work, and he makes me strive to be better every day of the week.  He changed how I go about training, and how I go about playing baseball.

PBR:  Prep Baseball Report’s No. 1 goal is to provide players with an unrivaled platform filled with next-level exposure through events and multi-media avenues. What’s your experience been with us?

Rossi:  I have been to multiple PBR events, attending my first one as a Freshman in high school. Since then, I have been to seven more. I have honestly never had a bad experience with PBR. They put my name out there so that I had the opportunity to go to a school that really fit the requirements I had set in my mind. Their video work also helped me perfect my mechanics, and their feedback on my performances always helped me in one way or another. There is no other platform that will be as personal and beneficial as PBR in the world.