Kent State Dream A Reality For Muncy

Nate Muncy LHP / 1B / Southeast, OH / 2024

ATWATER - “I knew where I wanted to go since I was a little guy.”

A commitment to Kent State completes that long-time dream of Nate Muncy, now an incoming senior at Southeast High School.

“With the coaching staff, the facilities and it’s only 20 minutes from home, it was an easy decision,” Muncy related while adding another reason that the Mid-American Conference university was at the top of his college choices. “My mom was a four-year starter there in softball. She was a first baseman/pitcher like me, who hit in the four-hole as a freshman.”

Kent was also the place his parents met, a meeting that took place with his father invited by a friend to go watch a softball game.

“They let me make my decision,” Muncy pointed out about his parents. “It’s just nice to be 20 minutes from home and be with great coaches. It wasn’t hard to say yes to that.”

Initial interest in Kent State came some time back according to the ninth-rated 2024 left-handed pitcher in Ohio.

“At 10-years-old I went to my first Kent baseball camp,” Muncy reflected. “I’ve really liked all the Kent players and have always wanted to play Division I baseball since then, hopefully at Kent.”

That desire has turned into reality.

“Two winters ago I went to a Kent State camp and they had some interest in me,” Muncy said. “They came to my high school games the last two years and also saw me play with Release the last three summers. That’s when they saw me the most.

“I started talking with them this past winter and they offered me at the end of the high school season. I took a couple of days to think about it with my family.”

The opportunity to be a two-way player at Kent made the decision even easier according to Muncy, who also was talking with other MAC schools as well as some in the Horizon League and Big East Conference.

“Most of the others were saying I’d be a two-way as well,” the 6-2 205-pounder noted. “With coach (Mike) Birkbeck the pitching coach at Kent State, it was an easy decision. With (head) coach (Jeff) Duncan and coach (Barrett) Serrato being so qualified, it was easy to say yes to Kent over the other schools.”

An improved game proved vital in becoming a D-I college commit.

“I’ve gotten a lot more confident in my pitching and hitting,” the 68th-ranked senior in the state explained. “I’ve played baseball my whole life working with good coaches and working every day to get better. With pitching I’m more confident in my secondary pitches, trusting in them to throw in any count. That’s a big step up from years ago.”

Muncy is of the belief he can be a key part of the Kent State program.

“I’m always a team player,” Muncy noted. “I’ll bring a lot of energy to the dugout and be a positive kind of guy. I have a good mentality with helping others out and just bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the game.”

After all, baseball is a sport that Muncy has grown to love.

“It’s a hard game,” the 17-year-old admitted. “But when you put in the work and see yourself work and then succeed on the field, it’s a good feeling. If you just keep working you’ll see that work translate over to the game.”

To now know that baseball will be part of his future after high school is a rewarding feeling.

“It was a relief and also super exciting,” Muncy said of the thoughts he had after making the commitment official. “My family was super excited and happy for me. They’ll be able to come watch me play and see what they created. Now I can go out and play, have fun and keep getting better.”

For Muncy, the credit for his baseball journey goes to his parents.

“They’ve been my biggest supporters,” Muncy said. “They’ve supported me since day one. They’ve gotten me to where I wanted to be and with what I wanted to do.”

As for a college major, that is still an uncertainty for Muncy, who carries a 3.9 GPA in high school. What Muncy does know is there is a lot to anticipate when it comes to his future at Kent State.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new players and I hope to pick up some new things skillswise,” Muncy concluded. “I can’t wait to develop my craft more and get better, and hopefully play at the next level after that.

“The cool part of this is I’ve played with a couple of these guys, Jake Bean and Ben Rabatin,” Muncy added in reference to recent high school graduates now headed to Kent State. “I’m looking forward to reuniting with them and also with playing with some new guys.”