Crawford Commits To 'Up-And-Coming Program'

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP - The recruiting process was going great for Caden Crawford … until Covid made life a bit precarious.

“It was encouraging at first, but once Covid hit it was frustrating,” reflected Crawford. “I dropped off of school’s radars and they didn’t even tell me.”

There were 15 Division I colleges showing interest at one point, including five Power 5 schools.

“Once Covid hit it was definitely a difficult time,” the CHCA senior admitted. “I had offers I didn’t take, holding out for better and then Covid … There was uncertainty about what was going to happen. Luckily I found a great fit.”

That came this fall when the fifth-ranked 2022 first baseman in Ohio made a connection with Evansville.

“Their hitting coach followed me on Twitter one-and-a-half months ago and I sent him video,” Crawford related. “I went to a camp there and I hit well. I went yard in the game and they offered me.”

The 17-year-old took another trip to the university in Indiana before making a decision.

“I went on a second visit and had an admissions meeting and toured the athletic facilities,” Crawford explained. “I also sat in on a practice.”

A commitment came soon after in mid-November.

“I absolutely love the coaching staff,” Crawford pointed out.”I’ve talked to a lot of coaches and I haven’t found this kind of honesty and transparency anywhere else.”

The coaches at Evansville found plenty to like in the 66th-rated senior in Ohio.

“They were looking for a good bat from the right side to finish off this class,” Crawford noted. “They feel I have the athleticism to play across the field and want to develop me in the outfield. They say I’m too fast to play at first base.”

The 6-3 215-pounder has put in a lot of time in getting to the point of being a Division I college commit.

“I’ve lived in the weight room and the batting cages every day,” Crawford said. “I just hit and hit and hit.”

The love for the game began early.

“Probably when I was 10 is when I started thinking about college baseball,” Crawford reflected. “It was then that I got a little more serious about baseball and that I can do this. I’ve shot for it ever since.”

Once in high school it became realistic.

“My freshman year I started talking to schools and my sophomore year I started to get offers,” Crawford related.

Junior year was highlighted by a Division III state championship.

“That was a really big stage,” Crawford said of playing at Akron’s Canal Park, home of the Class AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. “Being able to do well under that immense pressure and learning to deal with that and still focus on my game was big.”

It was not the first time Crawford played in an atmosphere with eyes on his performance.

“I went to the Future Games and that helped me out a lot,” Crawford said in reference to the 2020 PBR event in Pennsylvania. “That got me some Ivy League schools looking at me which I was considering. It was really helpful in getting out my numbers. Whenever I talked to a coach they’d look up my profile.”

Crawford also pointed to John Sullivan with making an impact on his game.

“My hitting coach has been a big part of everything,” Crawford said of Sullivan. “He always told me to just keep working and it would pan out.”

That proved to be the case for Crawford, who carries a 4.05 GPA and is leaning toward a major in business at Evansville, which is located 31/2 hours from home.

“It’s definitely relieving,” Crawford said of a commitment being finalized. “It was getting really stressful toward the end. Now there’s a weight off my shoulders and I can go out and play my game without the added pressure.”

And hopefully for Crawford and company, another state title before moving on to play at Evansville where the highly-regarded CHCA athlete believes he can be a huge asset to the Missouri Valley Conference program.

“I’ll bring a good solid bat and help put some runs across,” Crawford said. “Eventually, I want to become a leader. I really feel this is an up-and-coming program and think we can do some big things.”