LaGrassa Finds Brown A Perfect Fit

MIDDLETON, Ma. - After taking a visit to Brown University, Cameron LaGrassa knew it was the perfect fit.

“When I was there all the players came up to me and my parents and shook our hands,” reflected the St. John’s Prep junior. “I knew that was the type of people I wanted to be around.”

The community and location were other pluses according to LaGrassa, who first made an impression on the Brown coaches while playing two games at a tournament in Providence.

“I did really well,” the ninth-rated 2024 shortstop in New England pointed out. “A few months after, my coach sent me a text and asked if I had any interest in Brown. The Ivy League is something I thought I was capable of doing and I said yes. A few months went by and I went on a visit. I went to a football game while I was there and they won in double overtime.

“I fell in love with the school,” LaGrassa added. “I saw what the coaches were like outside of baseball. I kept talking to them and they offered.”

Penn, Dartmouth, Fairfield and Maine were other colleges intrigued with the left-handed hitting middle infielder who plays running back on his high school football team.

“They had four boxes,” LaGrassa said of what stood out about him to Brown. “Physically I’m good enough, I want to play there, my grades are good enough and I’m financially able. I checked all the boxes.”

The idea of playing college baseball began at a young age when LaGrassa was a standout.

“In Little League I had a ton of people come up and say how good I was,” LaGrassa related. “I was big talk around town and I wanted to keep doing it. I had a lot of success with travel ball and that helped me the most. After that I realized I could follow my dream.

“I went to a few PBR events and it was good to see my stats out there,” LaGrassa added. “John Murphy, my recruiting advisor, was able to get me in contact with a lot of schools and I also had help from coach Mike Abraham with NEB. I’m at a loss trying to say all that they do to help their kids.”

Improvement was also key in the process.

“My workout routine and determination were the two biggest things for me,” the 6-0 190-pounder noted. “I did a lot of reps lifting and hitting. Wanting to play at the D-I level is the biggest thing I have.”

It has LaGrassa confident about what he can provide the Ivy League program located in Providence, R.I.

“I’m someone who loves to compete,” LaGrassa said. “I love bringing it to the game and I love being around brothers, having a connection with all the guys on the team and pushing them to do what they can do to get better. I’m a fun energetic kid you want to be around.”

At the moment LaGrassa, who had a 4.0 GPA as a freshman and a 3.95 as a sophomore, is leaning toward a major in engineering.

“There will be challenges with school,” LaGrassa admitted. “I have a good GPA and I work hard at it. My parents sent me to a good Catholic school so if I’m able to keep up there I think I’ll be able to do it at a good Ivy League school.”

LaGrassa gave additional credit to his parents for playing a major part in making it all happen.

“My parents gave me an opportunity to play travel ball,” LaGrassa explained. “My dad pushes me a lot. He’s been one of my biggest mentors growing up, coaching me in Little League and helping me have the right mentality.”

To make a commitment brought a lot of satisfaction to the 38th-rated junior in New England.

“It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” the 17-year-old said. “There were a lot of people that may not think I’m capable of doing this at an Ivy League school and it would be nice to prove them wrong.”

It has LaGrassa with high anticipation when it comes to what life will be like at the university located 90 minutes from home.

“I’m looking forward to this level of competition,” LaGrassa concluded. “There’s nothing like college baseball and I want to win so we can make it as far as we can. I’m excited to start playing and meeting guys from all over the United States. I’ve already met one of my future teammates who is from California.”