This summer, Cory Wilder (Lima Shawnee/2013), came into pitch during the last inning of an ACME double header at Defiance High School.

Wilder, who was set to face Defiance’s 2013 standout Rob Ziegler, was registering a fastball in the mid 70’s during his warm up pitches.

But, when he took the mound and threw his first pitch of the inning, the scoreboard lit up with “88.”  Eventually, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect topped out at 89 mph.

After the game, Defiance Head Coach Tom Held approached Lima Shawnee’s coach asking about Wilder. Up until this point, Wilder, who played shortstop for Lima Shawnee this spring, was a relatively unknown prospect.

Held, who is well known for developing pitchers and sending them on to the college and professional ranks, did not hold back from encouraging Wilder to focus on developing his pitch skills.

Fast forward to the beginning of August.

Wilder, one of the youngest participants at The Buckeye Scout Games, stepped up to the mound in front of a spread of college coaches.

He proceeded to register an 85-88 mph fastball, the second highest velocity at the event. He accompanied the fastball with a 73 mph slider and a 72 mph changeup.

While the Lima-Shawnee product is far from being polished, he undoubtedly posses natural abilities that could lead to opportunities at the next level.

After the event, he says, “It seems like recruiting interest has picked up … I have talked to a few schools. It will be interesting to see who I hear from after September 1^st.”

In the spring, Wilder mainly played shortstop, hitting .319 with 23 singles, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 homerun. He notes, “My pitching stats were pretty limited. I spent most of my spring pitching in the bullpen working on mechanics. Coach Hall from Shawnee really focused on my mechanics and teaching me to use my whole body to pitch.”

Eventually, the hard work started to pay off. He explains, “The pitching work really started showing in the summer. I was 4-1 with a 1.0 ERA and 39 strike-outs.”

For now, Wilder will continue to focus on playing varsity soccer this fall as well as his heavy academic load. The junior is currently ranked first in his class with a 4.22 cumulative GPA and an ACT composite score of 31.

Looking ahead to next season, Wilder is expected to help lead Lima Shawnee on and off the field. He was voted by his senior teammates to receive the “Indian Baseball Legacy Award,” which is designated for an individual expected to carry on the tradition of leadership at Shawnee. In the summer, he will the join the tournament and showcase circuit as a member of the Ohio Elite baseball program.