Top Stories of 2016: #7 - Commitments, Commitments and More Commitments
December 25, 2016
By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting
Commitments have rolled in throughout the year from players in all parts of the state to colleges in all regions of the country. To report future commitments, or ones not currently on our Commitments list, please e-mail us at the addresses found here and/or tag us on your Twitter announcements. Over 325 seniors know where they will matriculate after graduation. The group includes nearly 100 right-handed pitchers, 25 left-handed pitchers, over 40 corner infielders, more than 60 middle infielders, and over 40 catchers.
In the class of 2018, 47 players have verbally committed. The ACC and Big 10 each have nine commits, followed by the Big East with five, and the Atlantic-10 and Big 12 with four each. Among individual schools, Penn State (5), Pittsburgh (4), and St. John's (3) lead the way, while eight programs, including defending national champion Coastal Carolina, have received two affirmative responses. Looking at primary positions for these prospects, the commitments have come from ten shortstops, ten right-handed pitchers, eight left-handed pitchers, seven third basemen, six catchers, and six outfielders.
Half of the players in our class of 2019 Top 30 rankings have made commitments heading into their sophomore spring. As always, those who play in the middle of the diamond are in the highest demand. A trio of catchers are headed to North Carolina, Mississippi State, and Kent State, while a group of projectable arms has said "Yes" to Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia. Steady shortstops have pledged to Boston College, Liberty, and Stony Brook, while perhaps the deepest position so far is a strong outfield crop that includes quality athletes committed to Vanderbilt, Virginia, Louisville, and Maryland.
The youngest player from the Commonwealth to make a verbal commitment is 6-foot-2, 180-pound class of 2021 IF/RHP Nick Bitsko. Just an eighth grader this academic year, the future Central Bucks East Patriot participated in the USA Baseball 14U National Team Development Program this summer and has committed to Virginia.
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