Briggs Celebrates Birthday With Commitment To OU

Daniel Briggs SS / 2B / Dublin Coffman, OH / 2025

DUBLIN - What a great birthday present.

On the day Daniel Briggs turned 17 he went on a college visit to Ohio University and received an offer. A day later, the Dublin Coffman junior was committed to the Mid-American Conference school in Athens.

“I loved the campus and loved the coaches,” Briggs explained. “On the way home we talked and I said that it felt so right to me. I called (assistant) coach (Kirby) McGuire the next day and said I was ready to commit. Then I called the head coach (Craig Moore).”

Interest from OU began a few months back.

“Over the whole summer they came out a lot to see me and a teammate with Bo Jackson,” Briggs reflected. “I saw a coach at every tournament. They must have liked what they saw at the Future Games. Once Aug. 1 hit, we kept in contact.”

It all culminated on the Sept. 1 visit.

“For me specifically, I really liked when we met a couple of players and they were very welcoming,” the fifth-rated 2025 shortstop in Ohio noted. “They shook hands, not only with me but with my parents. That showed me how nice the culture was at OU.”

Liberty, Eastern Michigan and Kentucky were other schools that had shown interest in Briggs, but it was Ohio University that really had high regard according to the 5-11 170-pounder.

“They saw a lot of potential in me and thought I was a great fit for the program,” Briggs explained. “They love my athleticism. In the field they love my hands and speed and at the plate they believe I can become a more polished hitter.”

That is an area of the game Briggs has focused on getting better.

“My bat has really improved,” Briggs pointed out. “I put in a lot of work in the offseason and numbers-wise I’ve added some good power. I’ve also kept working to improve my athleticism, my fielding and my speed on the base paths.”

That improvement proved vital in a recruiting process that “started off slow” according to the 30th-rated junior in the state.

“I had a couple of calls Aug. 1, but nothing really stood out,” Briggs related. “I had not heard from too many others.”

Ohio University was more than enough in the eyes of Briggs.

“I give a lot of credit to PBR,” Briggs said. “The Future Games was ginormous for me. I was able to play in front of OU some more. I also played in the Top Prospect Games in front of OU. Those two opportunities helped get me in front of them.”

In the end, that proved beneficial in the 17-year-old achieving his desire to play baseball at the next level.

“Going into eighth grade is when I realized I can turn this dream into a reality,” Briggs explained. “After that I honed in on what I needed to work on.”

Briggs pointed to summer ball coach Brandon Riley with playing a key role in the cause.

“He put me in so many positions to reach out to schools and also put in a good word to a good amount of schools, especially OU which was very helpful,” Briggs said.

The Dublin Coffman junior is confident he can be a huge asset to the program at Ohio U, which is located an hour and 15 minutes from home.

“I feel I will bring contributions in many categories,” Briggs explained. “I’ll get on base and be a run creator. I’ll get in scoring position and score runs. Defensively, I’ll be a playmaker getting dirty and helping the pitchers as much as I can.”

Making the decision official brings a sense of comfort to the second-rated 2025 shortstop in Ohio to make a college commitment.

“So much anticipation was let go,” admitted Briggs, who joins Colton Landtiser, Noah Ernst and Evan Lichtenauer as 2025 OU commits from the state. “You see guys committing all the time on Twitter and that got my anticipation level up. To check that off the list is big time for me.”

A 3.5 student planning to major in business, Briggs looks forward to his days ahead at Ohio University.

“I’m so excited, it’s such a beautiful campus,” Briggs concluded. “I can’t wait to get familiar with everyone. I’m excited to see who else commits to OU in the 2025 class.”