Commitment To UConn Dream Come True For Rizy

FISKDALE, Ma. - Growth came quickly. So did a college commitment.

The University of Connecticut will be the college home for Mavrick Rizy.

“They were my second phone call with a college coach after BC,” the fourth-rated 2024 in New England noted. “It started in early January and we had conversations every two weeks. They were very interested.”

And why not? The 6-8 205-pound right-handed pitcher’s fastball has continued to rise, topping out most recently at 91 in June.

“I had a huge growth spurt a year ago,” related Rizy, whose velo was at 81 last October before moving up to 83 in November, 86 in February, 88 in March and now 91. “I’ve been working with Matt Tabor and learned how to use my body and how to use my height. My velo has really jumped in the last two months, mostly due to mechanical stuff. I used to fall down on the mound instead of pushing off and being explosive.”

There was also a change in the body.

“Two years ago I had a knee injury,” Rizy reflected. “I’ve grown six inches since then. I was super skinny. I focused on putting on weight and that’s helped a lot as far as velo.”

In addition to UConn and Boston College, other schools being considered included Maryland, Purdue, VCU, Penn State, Northeastern and Wake Forest.

“I did a couple PBR events and colleges started coming in after that,” pointed out the 11th-ranked sophomore-to-be in New England, a 160-pounder two years ago. “I sent out videos and coach Phil Price set me up with some phone calls. He’s been there since the beginning.”

In addition to the Evolution head coach, Tabor and most recently ex-BC pitching coach Alex Trezzo have been influential in helping Rizy improve on the mound. Not to be forgotten is older brother Kyle Rizy, a recent high school graduate headed to pitch at Bryant.

“He’s taught me a lot,” Rizy said of the 28th-rated 2021 right-handed pitcher in New England. “Not only has he pushed me, but whenever I’d hit a big number, he’d knock me down. He helps me stay humble. He also helps me with the little fixes that need to come to my game.”

UConn liked what they saw in the Worcester Academy 2024.

“One thing that stood out was they said I’m not only a good athlete, but a good student,” noted Rizy, who has a 3.5 GPA and plans to major in biology in college.

Rizy also liked what the Big East Conference university presented.

“Their offer was insane,” Rizy said. “They had my major and they play great baseball. It came down to BC and UConn and those were my first two phone calls.”

It took a pair of visits before making a decision.

“I went for a game when they started letting fans back in,” Rizy reflected. “I walked around the campus to check it out. Then I went back before I committed for a game. I drove around campus and the doors were open to the new athletic center so I went in and got to see the weight room.”

That helped seal the deal for the 16-year-old, who lives a half hour from the university.

“It was an extremely tough decision, I loved both of the coaches,” Rizy said of choosing between the two programs at Connecticut and Boston College. “It really came down to they had my major and when I stepped on the campus at UConn I had the same feeling as I did at Worcester. I felt like I belonged there.”

The commitment culminated aspirations of playing baseball in college that had been around since youth.

“Ever since I was a kid I’ve always dreamed of playing at the next level after high school,” Rizy noted. “It was surreal when colleges started coming in. It’s a dream come true that I could do this.”