Pike Delighted To Make Commitment To Toledo

MONCLOVA - In eighth grade, Garret Pike was 5-8 and 125 pounds. But it did not deter plans for the future.

“My whole life I knew I wanted to play college baseball,” Pike related. “Since I was four-years-old, basketball and football would just be other sports I’d do. But not in college. That would be baseball.”

Now six inches taller and 55 pounds heavier than in junior high, the Anthony Wayne senior has obtained his dream with a commitment to play baseball at Toledo.

“After a baseball game at Heidelberg I got a text from the coach,” Pike reflected. “That was late June, early July. He had talked to my high school coach. That’s when it all started.

“Then it was about me sending videos and staying in contact. At the end of July I took an academic visit. I had never been on campus before and I really enjoyed it. A few days later is when I committed.”

The left-handed hitting high school shortstop, who is looked at as a third baseman at the next level, shows a lot of promise when it comes to college baseball.

“He liked my swing,” the 148th-rated 2021 in Ohio said in reference to Toledo assistant Nick McIntyre, the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the Rockets. “He told me that a lot. He said you’ll be fun to work with. He likes working with lefties.”

The ultimate decision came down to Bowling Green and Toledo for Pike, whose first offer came from Mount Vernon.

“The offer at Toledo was better,” Pike explained about his college choice. “The academics at Toledo was another reason. They have a really good business program. As far as baseball, I really like coach McIntyre. He seemed really excited to work with me.”

The 26th-ranked senior shortstop in the state has made a lot of strides in his game to get to this point.

“There’s been a lot of growing into my body,” Pike noted. “I was pretty small so there’s been a lot of growing up getting bigger and stronger. 

“I’ve also been hitting every day. I’m blessed to have a cage at my house. I play football and basketball, so I’m always doing something.”

But the days of being a three-sport athlete are winding down for Pike, who turned 18 on Sept. 16.

“It will be different in college,” pointed out Pike, the quarterback on Anthony Wayne’s football team. “I can focus on one sport so that will be nice to just focus on baseball.”

The 6-2 180-pounder sees an abundance of qualities he can bring to the UT program.

“Lots of energy,” Pike  said of what he will provide. “I’ll be flying all over the field. I’m ultra competitive. I hate losing. I’ll do everything I can to push my teammates. I’m somebody that’s willing to work.”

Pike points to high school coach Mark Nell and hitting coach Tom Reynolds as his biggest influences in the sport.

“Coach Nell helped me with my defense more than any coach,” Pike explained. “He’s really helped my throwing motion from freshman year to now. Tom Reynolds has been my hitting coach since after freshman year. He’s helped my swing get to where it is now.”

Pike, who scored 25 on the ACT to go along with a 3.9 GPA, admits the recruiting process had its difficulty.

“It’s what I thought it would be like except not meeting coaches in person and them not seeing me play in person with all the regulations,” Pike said. “This summer was big. All the virtual stuff and sending them film helped a lot.”

The desire now is to continue getting bigger and stronger, gaining weight and lifting in preparation for becoming part of the Mid-American Conference program.

“It’s nice to have this all over with,” Pike admitted. “I don’t have to worry any more. I know where I’m going and can focus on improving and being ready to play Division I baseball at Toledo.”