By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

Major League Baseball prospects come in all shapes and sizes. Current St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams (Philipsburg-Osceola HS, Class of 2006) is a prime example. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound left-handed hitter put up big numbers during the 2013 regular season with a .284 batting average, 17 home runs and 51 RBI. He has carried that success into the postseason going 3-for-7 with a double through the first two games of the NLDS against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Adams was selected with the 699th overall pick by the Cardinals in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft following a standout junior season at Slippery Rock University. He made his mark by winning the NCAA Division II batting championship with a .495 average as a junior in 2009. Adams also hit 14 homers and drove in 64 runs in 51 games that spring. Adams' success as a hitter at the minor league level and his rapid rise through the Cardinals farm system has paved the way for other small college players in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) has long been regarded as one of the premier Division II baseball conferences in the country. The conference saw seven players drafted in the 2013 draft alone, led by RHP Nick Keener (Mansfield, 10th round), RHP Lou Trivino (Slippery Rock, 11th round) and LHP Tim Mayza (Millersville, 12th round). Adams' success in prime time during the 2013 MLB postseason should provide added fuel to a conference that continues to draw quality players.

PSAC Commitments: Class of 2014

The addition of two new baseball playing members (Seton Hill & Pitt-Johnstown) has made the conference the largest NCAA athletic conference in the country in any division. Following is a look at ranked players in the PA Class of 2014 that have already committed to play their college baseball for a school in the PSAC.

No. 33 - C/3B Christian Porterfield, West Middlesex HS (Slippery Rock)
No. 48 - C Brandyn Smith, Cedar Cliff HS (Bloomsburg)
No. 60 - 2B/SS Ted Williams, Meadville HS (Millersville)
No. 73 - 2B/RHP Devon Walker, Dubois Area HS (Pitt-Johnstown)
No. 102 - OF Aaron Taylor, J.P. McCaskey HS (Millersville)
No. 117 - RHP/3B Nate Dickey, Central Dauphin HS (Indiana of PA)
No. 159 - LHP Dan Clark, Indiana Area HS (Indiana of PA)
No. 200 - RHP Christian McClure, Cumberland Valley HS (Indiana of PA)

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