Josh Rogers has never shied away from the spotlight.   In Little League he pitched a semi-final game televised nationally on ESPN, and has been given the start against some of the top travel baseball teams in the country during the summer.  Rogers quietly stepped in to the number one starting pitching role at New Albany High school as a sophomore last season.  Rogers’ summer ball coach this past season, Mark Peters said “Josh has always embraced the spotlight, not matter what the situation is.”

Rogers, a junior at New Albany High School, recently made his decision to play college baseball at the University of Louisville to play for Coach Dan McDonnell.  Rogers is a 6-foot-3 inch left handed pitcher who relies heavily on two pitches; a fastball clocked as high as 91 and sits consistently 86-89, and a hard breaking ball that is considered by many a plus pitch at any level. 

Growing up in Southern Indiana and cheering on the Cardinals since he can remember. It is easy to assume Rogers was always heading to Louisville. However it wasn’t until his most recent visit where he realized Louisville was home. Rogers was courted and had strong interest from several of the top programs in the country including Georgia Tech, Florida, and Vanderbilt.  When it came down to making his decision on where to play collegiate baseball, best friend and teammate Jordan Striegel (committed to Louisville), and Louisville being the hometown school were both major factors in his decision to become a Cardinal after his senior year at New Albany.  However, the coaching staff at Louisville ultimately played the biggest role in Josh being a Cardinal.

“My decision to play at Louisville ultimately came down to the coaching staff and the chance to win." 

Louisville has signed a lot of talent from the state of Indiana of late including 2 top 20 players in 2010, and a top 5 player in the 2011 class.  Louisville made a commitment to Rogers very early in the process, making him one of their top prospects to sign. 

"Louisville was at every one of my starts from high school baseball all the way through summer ball,” Rogers said. 

Currently Rogers is working hard to develop a third pitch for this upcoming spring; a changeup.  While his breaking ball is his biggest strength, his biggest weakness is he has been able to survive without having to throw a second off speed pitch.  In the next year and half Josh will work closely with Coach McIntire and Mark Peters to develop his changeup into a dominant third pitch.  

“My goal is to start my freshman year, and in order to do so I need that third pitch.”

New Albany won its sectional in 2011, losing in the Regional semi-final.  Rogers expects to build on last year’s success, having high hopes for this upcoming spring season both personally and for the team.  Teammates Jordan Stiegel, Eric Burnett, and Garrett Sherrell will help provide a nucleus for New Albany and Coach Mcintyre to be a true state championship contender. 

“Coach Mcintyre is a heck of a coach and I have a great deal of respect for him.  He’s been like a great father figure for me.”

In the summer of 2012, Rogers will again play for the Indiana Prospects and their 17U team.  The Prospects will consist of several top players from various states, making them a highly regarded team on the national level with hopes of winning a National Championship.  Joining Rogers on the team will be number one ranked 2013 prospect and recent Texas commit Trey Ball.  Rogers and Ball will arguably be the toughest 1-2 left handed pitching combination in the country.  

Whether it be New Albany, Indiana Prospects, or the Louisville Cardinals the spotlight will never be too big for the 6-3 lefty and his 90 plus fastball.