Drew Nankivell, C/OF, Grove City, Class of 2012

Last season, Grove City High School made a surprising run into the final four for the Division I State playoffs.

The team used a combination of youth and experience blended with a scrappy, blue-collar mentality to take the Central District by storm.

Now, as the team looks to replicate last season’s success, they will count on a number of players to fill the shoes of last year’s seniors.

Junior Drew Nankivell will be one of the players.

Last year, head coach Ryan Alexander looked for ways to keep the talented prospect in the lineup. And, he had good reason to do so. Nankivell lead the hitting in hitting as a sophomore with a .467 batting average.

With seniors TJ Devore (Bluffton) and Caleb Woodson (Otterbein) sharing the duties behind the plate, Nankivell found himself in the outfield.

Now, with a different roster, Nankivell finds himself as the team’s backstop.

Describing his play, Nankivell said, “I would want a scout to describe my style of play as aggressive at the plate with a good approach and hustles like crazy behind the plate. I want to be a brick wall back there and make it impossible to steal a base on me.”

After last season’s success, Nankivell knows Grove City has a target on their back.

“The key to our success this season is going to be staying focused and not getting cocky. We have a lot of returning starters from our team last year, and we think we can make a run at the states again. We just can't expect for it to happen though. We have to work our hardest and earn it like we did last year.”

On February 18^th, Nankivell participated in the Pre-Season Underclass Showcase in Dayton. He stood out as one of the top performers and finds himself moving up the player rankings for the Class of 2013.

His scouting report states:

One of the top athletes in showcase. Ran exceptional 4.88 40 yard dash on concrete. Has strength in medium 5-foot-11, 185-pound body. Defensively shows good lateral movement and blocks well. Good release pop time (1.91-2.09 with 78 mph arm velocity). The righty bat hits from closed stance, has good load and excellent bat speed (88 bat velocity off the tee). Makes solid contact. Needs to improve squaring up front side in swing to enhance lower half torque.

Nankivell’s success is not limited to the baseball field.

He currently maintains a 3.74 GPA in the classroom and has already earned a 29 on his ACT.

In addition, he is a talented linebacker on the Greyhound’s football team.

This summer, Nankivell will play for Grove City’s summer team.

He will also be participating in the Top Prospect Games in June at Prasco Park.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW DREW NANKIVELL'S SCOUTING REPORT AND VIDEO