Coll Thrilled To Be Able To Call Appalachian State Home

NEW BOSTON - Luke Coll jumped on the radar of college coaches this past winter when his fastball hit 90 for the first time. Touching 94 at the Michigan Procase in early March only added to the interest being generated by the eighth-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in the state.

The New Boston Huron senior has now found a place to call home when his high school days have come to an end with a recent commitment to Appalachian State.

“They saw me in Jupiter the first week of October,” Coll reflected. “I went on a visit and they offered me. I really liked the coaching staff and really liked the school, too. I like the feel of it and the school is set up.”

There were offers from UAB and Gulf Coast State College in Florida along with ongoing talks with additional schools, but the promising right-hander decided the time was right to make the Sun Belt East Division university located in Boone, N.C. his future destination.

“It definitely took some weight off my shoulders when I committed,” the 17-year-old admitted. “It took away a lot of stress.”

Appalachian State saw plenty of promise in the hard-throwing Coll.

“They think I’m a guy that could develop a lot more,” Coll noted.

Development is something that played a key role in a recruiting process that picked up in 2022.

“Going to tournaments and showcases helped a lot,” Coll pointed out. “I’m kind of a late-bloomer. Things started moving last winter and early spring. I gained a lot more velocity on my fastball and became a lot more comfortable throwing my breaking ball for strikes.”

The impressive performance at the PBR Michigan Procase proved as beneficial as anything that Coll did during his recruitment.

“That put me in contact with more schools,” Coll explained. “I threw really hard, schools saw that and began reaching out to me.”

It helped the 24th-rated senior in Michigan obtain a dream that had been around for some time.

“I’ve always wanted to play college baseball,” Coll said. “When it started to become a reality was last winter when I hit 90 for the first time. It was at an Ed Santos Showcase last October. I was really happy with that. It was then that I saw all my hours of work were paying off.”

But the desire to continue making strides remains.

“I need to get ahead in counts better,” Coll related about where improvement on the mound can come. “I’m also working on a changeup or another third pitch. Right now my top two are a fastball and slider.”

Trainers Dominic Downs and Dylan Putnam are credited by the New Boston Huron senior with being major influences in helping his game get where it is today.

“They’ve helped me a lot with mechanics and working on different pitches,” Coll noted.

It has Coll confident about the potential of making a difference in the program at Appalachian State once college begins in 2023.

“I feel I’ll be an impact guy on the mound to help out the team get a lot of wins,” explained Coll, a 3.8 student in high school who plans to major in business at college. “I’m really looking forward to developing more and becoming a better pitcher and a better person.”

As for Appalachian State, the visit in October to the university located nine hours from home was the only time Coll has been there. But the name of the school does have some familiarity, like it does to many residents of Michigan. It was the season opener in 2007 when Appalachian State stunned Michigan 34-32 in what is arguably the biggest upset in college football history.

“The first time the coach called me, what I said to him was something about that game,” related Coll, who was the age of three at the time the game was played.

So … if the two met up again on the gridiron, who would Coll be rooting for now?

“Definitely Appalachian State,” Coll said.