Papay Excited About What Lies Ahead At Wright State

Brody Papay LHP / Avon, OH / 2025

AVON - The reasons for selecting Wright State were many for Brody Papay. But his connection with Jordan Chiero played a major role in making a commitment to the Horizon League university in Dayton.

“My experience with Jordan at the Future Games, his ethics and how he coached,” Papay explained about the former Prep Baseball Ohio Director of Scouting, who is now an assistant coach at Wright State. “He’s going to build you up and try to help you. He did that his whole time at PBR.”

The Avon High School junior initially had interaction with Wright State when former coach Nate Metzger was the recruiting coordinator.

“They wanted me to go to a camp but I couldn’t make it because of fall ball,” the sixth-ranked junior left-handed pitcher in Ohio reflected. “After that I didn’t hear from them much. But when Jordan got the job at Wright State he talked to (head) coach (Alex) Sogard and said ‘you’ve got to check out this kid.’ 

“Then they got in contact with me and set up a visit,” continued Papay, who was impressed that the head coach had been a left-handed pitcher in pro ball. “It was the second time I was there, the first a tournament at the end of summer. This time I got to see the whole campus. I checked out everything. It’s not too far from home but far enough to get a college feel.

“After the visit I talked to coach Sogard and coach Chiero and they gave me my first offer. But I wanted to see how it rode out with other visits.”

It came down to Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Wright State, with Papay listing off a number of reasons in addition to Chiero in making his final decision.

“Coach Sogard is a left-handed pitcher who knows his stuff,” Papay explained. “They’re also big about nutrition. One drawback was they don’t have a football team, but that turned into a pro because they focus on other sports, baseball and basketball. They want the baseball program to succeed and make it to Omaha. They play a good schedule and everybody on the team travels. Coach Sogard said that gets them to bond together.”

The Wright State coaches saw promise in the 6-5 215-pound southpaw, who won’t turn 17 until March 21.

“One thing they saw was that I’m projectable,” Papay said. “I’m not all the way filled out. I have work to do to get better, but Jordan knows I’ll do what I can to help Wright State be the best it can be.”

While college baseball is now a reality, there was a time that Papay, admittedly, had doubts.

“I struggled with anxiety when I was younger,” Papay related. “Sports was a blur. It was hard to participate. I was always nervous. It felt like I wasn’t able to pursue this. At one point, at age 12, I almost stopped playing baseball. It was a struggle. I didn’t enjoy going out on the field.

“But I had great coaches that not only helped me get better, but helped me feel that everything would be better. At 13 I played with Premier and at 14 with T-3. College baseball started to become a reality. I loved going out on the field. My adrenaline was pumping. Last year it became full go and there was a thrill going to the Future Games and to tournaments. I loved the competition.”

Recruitment also took off in 2023.

“I did a PBR Scout Day, played high school ball, got invited to TPGs and started getting looks,” noted the 19th-ranked 2025 in the state. “I did well in the summer and then got invited to the Future Games. On Aug. 1 schools started reaching out and I went to Ohio State, Cincinnati and Lake Erie. It was kind of slow after that so I posted videos to show my improvement and Central Michigan reached out and then BG. I had other colleges as well, but they were too far away for me. Wright State was the best fit. It’s in Ohio, it’s close to home and I love the coaches.”

Papay is confident he can make an impact at the next level.

“I’ll be that guy they can rely on,” noted Papay, who credited his pitching coach Jordan Kraus with playing a major role in becoming the pitcher he is today. “I do my best to throw strikes, I’m always persistent, trying to be the best of the best to help out the team in any way I can.”

Admittedly, there was a bit of uncertainty before making the decision to officially commit.

“I didn’t know if it was best to wait it out or pull the trigger now,” Papay explained. “Wright State made a great offer, it’s a great school and I really like the coaches. I felt nothing could beat that so I pulled the trigger rather than wait and maybe have the offer pulled.”

Business is a possible major for Papay, a 4.1 student this school year to boost his overall GPA to 3.7.

“I’m looking forward to having that bond with my teammates,” concluded Papay, who lives 31/2 hours from Wright State. “All the guys live in an apartment together and you get that bond. I can’t wait for that and the whole college feel of being away from home.”