Everything 'Clicked' For Whitaker At Indiana

McKay Whitaker 1B / OF / Worthington Kilbourne, OH / 2022

COLUMBUS - It was at an Indiana team camp this fall when McKay Whitaker discovered what he had been looking for in his recruitment.

“We took on-field BP, 10 swings maybe,” the Worthington Kilbourne sophomore reflected. “Coach (Jeff) Mercer came up and said to tweak this one thing in my swing. What he told me kind of clicked. We were on the same wavelength.”

The feeling was mutual.

“After we finished, my (TNT Knights Black) fall coach sent me a text and said give coach Mercer a call,” Whitaker said. “We talked and he asked how I liked the weekend. He said we really liked you and extended the offer which was awesome.”

Xavier, Ohio State, Cincinnati and Wake Forest were others that offered the sixth-ranked 2022 in the state, with Penn State, Louisville and Ohio U additional schools in discussion with Whitaker.

“They all wanted to see me develop at the plate,” noted the 6-1 170-pound left-handed hitting first baseman.

But it was Indiana that stood out to Whitaker.

“After talking to coach Mercer and the guys there, it just felt like I wanted that to be my new home,” Whitaker explained. “I’m doing my homework one night and thinking, I want to be a Hoosier. I accepted a month later.”

The top-rated sophomore first baseman in Ohio has made strides in his game to get to the point of being a Big 10 commit.

“The biggest thing that changed was the whole maturity part of the decision-making process,” Whitaker said.

An improved stick brings a high ceiling to his game.