Maryland Commitment Brings Excitement To Driscoll

NORTH READING, Ma. - It is hard not to feel the excitement Aidan Driscoll has with making a commitment to Maryland.

“It’s been a great experience to be a Terp for 16 days now,” Driscoll said a week ago when discussing his decision to make the Big 10 school his future home.

The Austin Preparatory freshman began talking to colleges Christmas break of eighth grade and a little more than a year later the recruiting process has come to an end.

“I started talking to them last summer,” the fourth-ranked 2024 catcher in New England related. “My advisor, Jared Evans, is close friends with the Maryland hitting coach and it’s a great school. Academics is important to me and my family. My mom is a teacher and we did a lot of research on it.

“I talked with a lot of other recruits and the energy is unmatched. I love everything about it. The chemistry is crazy. That’s a big deal. I want to be around guys with the same goals as me.”

The coaching staff was another selling point according to the 15th-rated New England junior.

“The energy the coaches brought was more than other colleges,” pointed out Driscoll. “It was so noticeable when I talked to them. They have a very young staff which I like and they know a ton about the game. I have a great relationship with one of their coaches, Anthony Papio, and coach Swope was extremely influential in me coming to Maryland. Coach Corey Muscaro has energy like no other coach in the country and (head) coach (Rob) Vaughn is awesome. He’ll get you to be on his team any day. He has a great way of speaking to his players.”

A zoom call helped close the deal.

“We talked about their philosophy with the game,” noted Driscoll, who also had interest from other Big 10 schools as well as some in the ACC. “I have nothing but love for the others I talked with, but Maryland was different. Every call was 30 to 45 minutes long, some an hour. The biggest reason I went there is I felt I’ll be supported there. The coaches helped me feel what it will be like to be a Terp.”

The 5-8 155-pound left-handed hitting catcher believes he can be a valuable asset to the program at Maryland.

“I think I’ll bring a lot of energy,” Driscoll said. “Being a catcher, you’ve got to be vocal. I think the offense is going to be dangerous. It’s a team effort you want to have and I’m ready to be a part of it. I think my work ethic will help get us to that goal of Omaha.”

The Maryland staff was attracted by what they feel Driscoll can provide on the field.

“They’re built around guys with the same goals that are ready to go to war and they said I have that energy,” Driscoll pointed out. “They knew that I was a great hitter but they like that I’m obsessed with being a perfect catcher as well. They search for that kind of person in you.”

The idea of playing baseball beyond high school has been around for quite awhile according to Driscoll.

“I’ve had an obsession to play in the major leagues for a very long time,” Driscoll noted. “I think I realized I wanted to play college baseball probably in 12U when I saw guys in my town playing in college. I thought I wanted to do that one day.”

Help came along the way, starting right at home.

“At a young age I knew I wanted to do this and play for as long as I could,” Driscoll explained. “My mom, when I was like three, gave me wiffle ball tosses. My dad took me to the cage every day when I wanted to get work in.”

His advisor along with Team Boston travel coaches as well as the “Austin Prep community” are others Driscoll credited with playing a big role in helping get where he is in the game today.

“We care for each other and I can learn so much there,” Driscoll said of the Austin Prep co-ed Catholic high school. “It’s a special place.”

Business or criminal justice are likely college majors for Driscoll, who has no doubt making a decision at this time is the right thing to do.

“I’m a very mature kid,” the 15-year-old related. “I’m able to pinpoint where I want to be and the core values of the team. Obviously, covid was a big thing but we did zoom calls to be with each other and that helped, though technically we weren’t together.”

Making it official was memorable as well.

“A lot of hard work paid off,” Driscoll concluded. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve had so many great texts from my family and my extended family since then. My dad was so blessed to tell my grandfather. They’re all so proud of me.”