Shunck Staying Near Home At Toledo

SWANTON - High ceiling. Under the radar. High follow.

Those are words used on the profile page of RJ Shunck on the PBR website.

Add one more to the list … committed.

The Evergreen junior has decided on Toledo as a future home.

“It began when I started playing with Bo Jackson and they saw me on an instagram video with PBR,” the 6-6 190-pound left-handed pitcher reflected about the interaction with UT. “We kept in touch this fall and they gave me an offer in the middle of the season.”

The seventh-rated 2022 southpaw pitcher in Ohio saw a lot of advantage in choosing the Mid-American Conference program.

“It felt right,” Shunck explained. “It’s 20 minutes from home, that’s a big component with it. My parents can come see me.”

But there was more the 16-year-old liked about Toledo.

“The coaching staff is new and put a lot of trust in me,” Shunck related. “I connected with the coaches a lot. There was an instant bond with the pitching coach and the head coach. They made it feel like a second home to me.”

Improved mechanics and increased velocity helped get the attention of Toledo and other baseball programs in the 49th-ranked junior in the state.

“They liked my frame and the smoothness of my mechanics,” Shunck said of Toledo.

Notoriety began a few years back.

“Since I started playing baseball I’ve wanted to be a D-I player,” Shunck noted. “When I was playing 12u I noticed a good amount of people were starting to talk about me and my lifelong dream was starting to become a reality.”

Interest continued to grow in the lefty, who points to command as his biggest area of focus now.

“When I did my first PBR is when college coaches started talking to me,” pointed out Shunck, who participated in the Buckeye Elite Showcase and Northern Ohio Top Prospect Games with PBR this past summer. “That’s when I realized I could actually do this.”

The recruiting process then picked up.

“Right after the PBR event Toledo and BG were the first to talk to me,” Shunck said. “Toledo was the only one to offer but I considered BG and was also talking to Akron.

“The decision didn’t take too long,” Shunck added. “I just talked with my family and decided what I wanted to do.”

Family has been a big part of the baseball journey for Shunck.

“My family, and also my coaches, have supported me in everything I do,” Shunck noted. “They helped get me this far, now I need to do them a service and give it back to them.”

The third-rated uncommitted left-handed pitcher in Ohio’s 2022 class prior to his commitment believes he can be a major help to the Toledo program 

“I’ll bring a lot of firepower,” Shunck said. “Being tall and a lefty will be good for them, I don’t think they have many lefties in the program.”

Being coachable is another trait of Shunck, who is a big fan of being a pitcher.

“I’ve always been a pitcher,” Shunck explained. “I like the one-on-one competition and that I can make it as much of a dual as possible.”

A 3.5 student, Shunck is uncertain about a college major at this time but is certain about one thing.

“It was pretty amazing to get a call from a D-I coach,” Shunck admitted. “It really made me humble. I’ve gotten a lot of things for granted, now I can go earn something.”

As for the future, his PBR profile had one additional comment that said a lot about Shunck.

“Going to be an interesting arm once everything comes together.”