Dream To Go To UConn Fulfilled By Flannery

WALLINGFORD, Ct. - Even at the age of 15, Shaun Flannery Jr. had no worries about making a college commitment.

“This is a dream come true to me,” Flannery said of his decision to commit to the University of Connecticut. “Some may say I’m too young, but I truly believe UConn is the right fit for me.”

After all, the university less than an hour from home is where the Hamden Hall freshman spent a lot of time growing up.

“UConn has always been my dream school,” Flannery reflected. “When I was a little kid I was going there to see basketball and football games, and now baseball games.”

Interest grew after attending a camp at the school a year ago.

“After the camp I looked around the campus with my family and it really interested me a lot,” Flannery related. “Then this past winter it picked up more. My travel coach reached out to an assistant coach at UConn to come to a fall ball game. I was nervous but it helped prepare me for playing under pressure.

“Then this winter I went to a fall ball camp and they liked the way I performed. I got in contact with them a couple of weeks after that and had a few calls before (head) coach (Jim) Penders offered. I committed the next day on Dec. 23.”

UConn was impressed with what the 6-0 178-pounder could do.

“I would be going there as a two-way,” noted Flannery. “They like what they saw of me on the mound and what they saw of me in the cages with bat speed and how the ball jumps off my bat.

“That’s big for me,” Flannery added about the opportunity to be a two-way player. “I thought going in two years ago that pitching would be the route for me but I’ve worked really hard on my hitting, so when they told me two-way I was really excited about that.”

Flannery sees plenty of plusses when it comes to being a student-athlete at UConn.

“Academics are a huge part of my future,” explained Flannery, who carries a 3.7 GPA at Hamden Hall. “I’m really interested in business and finance and UConn brings that. Staying close to home also helps. My family can come see me play games there.”

It was just a few years back when Flannery decided continuing to play baseball after high school was something he desired in his future.

“Two falls ago I found baseball was a sport I could take to the next level, as a pitcher at first,” Flannery reflected. “At that point I stopped playing basketball and football and began to focus on baseball year ’round. Then I had an arm injury, nothing big, but I continued to work hard with therapy and in the weight room and everything worked out.”

The recruiting process did not last too long.

“I knew I couldn’t just sit around and colleges would call me, so I tried to get out to showcases,” Flannery explained. “I went to a few PBRs and that was helpful in getting my numbers out there and with their videos. College camps were also a great way to get exposure.”

Making improvements in his game was also beneficial.

“Growing up, baseball wasn’t that big for me, but then I made a big decision and changed travel teams to CT Grind,” Flannery noted in looking back to the winter of 2019. “That really changed things for me. The coaches there helped a lot mentally and physically with baseball. I couldn’t have done this without them.”

Flannery pointed to Grind head coach Mike Morris and pitching coach Tommy Lawrence along with Connor David in the weight room and Garret Walker on the mental side of things with being major influences in his journey that has him excited to have found a home with UConn.

“This is an opportunity I thought maybe I’d have multiple years ahead, so to have it now is truly a blessing,” Flannery said. “There was a lot of stress on the call, but it all came off my shoulders once I told them. My family and friends at Grind are really proud of me and I thank them a lot.”

Flannery, who is considering a major in business finance or statistics, has high expectations when it comes to his days ahead at UConn.

“I’m looking forward to making new connections and getting to meet new people from different states and different countries and the way they live versus small towns in Connecticut,” Flannery said. “On the baseball side of things, they just renovated the facilities, the weight room and the cages and the training room, which will help me develop even more as a baseball player.”

There is one more thing Flannery has high anticipation for when it comes to being part of the Big East Conference program.

“I’m still working hard to achieve more goals,” Flannery concluded. “Getting to Omaha and winning a championship is the goal and I’ll do anything I can to help the team win it.”