Crall Finds Wright State The Right Path To Take

MOUNT ORAB - Playing in the college regionals and playing professionally are two goals Abe Crall has for the future. The Western Brown junior believes Wright State is the path to both.

“I made my decision based on how the coach can develop me and make me better,” Crall said about his commitment to the Horizon League university located 90 minutes from home. “That’s what I wanted, not someone who is just going to put me out there to play. I also wanted to go somewhere that can make it to the regionals. The two things I want are playing in the regionals and to play pro ball.”

The ninth-rated 2024 right-handed pitcher in Ohio was offered by Wright State the day after the Future Games in early August. A visit to the school on Sept. 9 helped in making a decision.

“That increased my interest a bunch,” noted Crall, who was seen initially by Wright State at a tournament in Cincinnati leading up to the Future Games. “Coach (Alex) Sogard impressed me so much. He had a slide show about things they do for pitchers and he talked about the program.”

Morehead State, where his twin brother Ben recently committed, was the other final choice for Crall, with Eastern Kentucky and Southern Indiana also under consideration.

“We were going for what was best for us,” Crall said about the decision to go to a different school than his twin. “If we ended up together, great, but it will be different without him.”

Two older siblings were influential in helping Crall along the way.

“My oldest brother went to Eastern Kentucky for two years and then to an NAIA in Kansas, and the other is a senior at NAIA Pikeville in Kentucky,” Crall related about Eli, a 2017 Western Brown graduate, and Ty, a 2019 Western Brown grad. “They helped me a lot, especially the oldest. He’s always calling and talking to me about pitching. The one at Pikeville is big on weight lifting. I’ve lifted with him a lot. Both have been big influences.”

Another who has had a major impact on Crall is his father, Jon, the head baseball coach at Western Brown.

“My parents have been big in all of this, especially my dad,” Crall said. “With him being the head coach at my high school, I have access to a lot of stuff. I can throw on the field whenever I want.”

Wright State found the 6-2 190-pounder to be a good fit for the program.

“They like my competitiveness,” noted Crall, who credited pitching coach Dusty Bargo with also playing a vital role in his improvement on the mound. “They feel I have a lot of projection and I fit the culture of what they’re trying to do.”

A commitment brings a sense of relief to the 28th-ranked junior in the state.

“It was a pretty stressful process,” Crall admitted. “What was most stressful was developing relationships with coaches knowing that at the end of the day there’s only one that you get to tell yes.”

The realization of playing at the next level came the first year that Crall was a member of the Five Star Midwest travel team.

“The coaches with Five Star were telling me how good I could be,” Crall said.

Getting noticed by colleges came with help from PBR.

“I started getting stuff from coaches after throwing a bullpen at Bo Jackson,” Crall reflected. “PBR put it on social media and things blew up. I also got a lot of attention from the Future Games. That all helped me a lot.”

A 4.0 student looking at a major in business, the 16-year-old is confident about what he can bring to the program at Wright State.

“I try to be the most competitive person on the field and try to work harder than anyone else,” Crall noted. “I want to get better every day.”

Crall is appreciative about having the opportunity of playing at the next level.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to play baseball, not everyone gets to do that,” Crall concluded. “I’m happy to continue to play the game I love for as long as I can.”