White Thrilled To Fulfill Power 5 Baseball Dream

AURORA, Ontario - Sam White has long coveted the idea of a future in baseball. That objective has now become a reality with a commitment to West Virginia.

“Every kid dreams of playing major league baseball,” the fourth-ranked 2022 in Ontario said. “ I found out about Division I baseball when I started playing elite baseball at 14U. That’s when the college baseball dream started for me.”

The desire became genuine this summer according to White.

“I’ve always felt I had what it takes to play college baseball but this summer took the monkey off the back that I can compete with all the kids in the states,” the Aurora High School senior explained. “Once I started getting into big tournaments I was hitting off good pitching. I never felt outmatched which helped make it realistic. When I played with Team Canada I wasn’t outmatched.”

That experience included a camp from Aug. 15-31 and games against players from the United States Sept. 2-9.

“That’s when it really set in that I could play Division I baseball,” White pointed out.

Schools like Oklahoma State, Utah, USC-Upstate and UNC-Charlotte had White on their radar but it was West Virginia that made the biggest impression on the 17-year-old.

“West Virginia showed extreme interest from the first conversation,” related White, who was first seen by coaches at the Big 12 Conference school in mid-July in Georgia. An offer was received in August and White went on an official visit in September.

“They didn’t want to wait, which showed they wanted me,” White said. “That’s something everybody looks for … how much they want you. I just fell in love. It’s a Power 5 school and they have all the resources you need.”

Sabins, the associate head coach at West Virginia, saw numerous attributes in the second-rated senior catcher in Ontario.

 “Steve Sabins is a great guy, we had a great relationship,” White noted. “He thought I was a good leader and liked how I was in the dugout.”

There was more that stood out to the coaches at the university located six hours from White’s hometown in Ontario.

“They like how I swing the bat,” White explained. “They like my confidence in the box, my defense and that I play the game the right way.”

A commitment brought an end to a recruiting process that had ups and downs.

“It happened a lot quicker than I thought,” White admitted. “There wasn’t much interest before this past summer. But then it picked up and schools put pressure on me to commit. That was the hard part. I was given time limits I had to commit by and felt a lot of pressure. But when an offer and dream is in front of you, you don’t want to leave it and then it’s gone.”

As for a recruiting highlight?

“Who doesn’t like to get in front of a bunch of schools?” acknowledged White.

Help in the process was vital.

“It starts with my parents,’ the 5-11 185-pounder said of Todd and Audrey White. “I wouldn’t be having a chance to play baseball without them. Then there’s my head coach Mike Steed. I can’t say enough about how well he treats his players. He’s honest and realistic to you and does what he can to put you in front of the right eyes.”

Ontario Blue Jays coaches Tim Smith and Corey Eckstein were helpful in the development of hitting and defense, respectively, with catching coach Drew Huerter another major influence for White, who only began catching a year ago..

“This time last year I was talking to scouts and coaches and they said I have a good arm and was built like a catcher,” White reflected. “Everyone’s looking for a catcher, so that’s what brought that on.”

Improvement in that area has followed.

“I’m new to catching but I made it my mission and I think I’ve gotten progressively better,” White said. “That’s because of my catching coach Drew Huerter. It’s been a massive part of my recruitment. Everyone likes a left-handed hitting catcher.”

Third base is also a position White is looking to see time at when playing with West Virginia, where the 3.7 student plans to major in kinesiology or exercise physiology.

“This is a dream come true,” White concluded. “I had my sights set on playing Power 5 baseball since grade eight. All my work has paid off. It’s a big relief to finally have gotten where I’ve been striving to be.

“But now the real work starts. It’s a relief and a reward, but now’s the wakeup call. Where do I want to be from here?”