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By: Max Wildstein

We look to bring the New England region top-notch high school coverage throughout the area.

We have the 2017 Scout Blog (with video and notes from this game), Spotlight Games, Inside the Recruitment Articles, Unsigned Senior Spotlights, The Recruiting Trail, All-State Selections, Full Coverage of the State Tournaments as well as numerous other articles throughout the spring.

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New England Insider: Prospect Spotlight - Mike Vasil

Known for his success on the field on the bump, Mike Vasil is one high school season away from joining the collegiate ranks in a competitive conference. According to our rankings at Prep Baseball Report, Vasil is the eighth-ranked player from the Class of 2018 from the New England region, as well as the third-best right-handed pitcher.

The Boston College High ace right-hander committed to the University of Virginia during the fall semester of his sophomore year of high school. The team’s previous success and recent title helped pave the way to his commitment.

“The fact that they had won a College World Series in 2015 was appealing, but the overall program and coaching staff was most impressive,” Vasil said. “The campus was another factor that drew me in, along with the strong academic reputation.”

BC High was one game away from a chance at the MIAA Baseball Division 1 State Championship, as the team fell to 2-seed St. John’s Prep on June 12 by the score of 9-7. Vasil only pitched an inning in that game, allowing an unearned run on one hit, while striking out three batters. He threw a 138-pitch complete game on June 10 in an elimination game against Xaverian, as he allowed an unearned run on 10 hits, while striking out five batters and walking one batter over nine innings in the winning effort. 

Despite falling just short of the Super 8 finals, Vasil was impressed by the way the team was run and how the season went.

“Other than pitching, I tried to be a supportive teammates and always sticking with the less experienced players,” Vasil added. “Throughout the whole year, I could tell the team had a lot of talent all around, but it was just a matter of being able to utilize that talent, which was key.”

BC High was able to claim its second straight Catholic Conference title this spring and they did it in extraordinary fashion. The UVA commit allowed two runners to reach base via errors in the first and fifth innings, but no other Xaverian batter was able to reach base against Vasil. He got the final batter of the game to ground out to second base and he completed his no-hitter.

“Going into the game, I was really more focused on getting a win, rather than throwing a no-hitter,” he insisted. “There was a controversial error that went up on the scoreboard as a hit in the first inning, so mentally, the no-hitter was not in my mind. I just wanted to help my team win!”

In addition to helping his school win its second straight Catholic Conference championship, Vasil was named the conference’s MVP. However, he insisted that it was more honorable to win it as a member of BC High’s program.

“Other than winning it for myself, I feel honored in winning the award as a representative of BC High!” Vasil exclaimed. “It’s very humbling in such a competitive conference to be recognized two years in a row.”

Continuing his humble ways, he also talked about his past three years on the BC High baseball team and some of his favorite memories.

“Some of my favorite memories have to come from my freshman year when the team made the Super 8 at 11-9,” he said. “That team for the last 10 games really embodied what BC High baseball stood for, which was timely hitting and all-around solid defense. When I was called upon to pitch and close out the game against St. John’s Shrewsbury, I would say that was one of the moments that will stand out for me. This past junior season also stands out to me because of how well the team meshed. We became really close teammates and friends.”

Moving on from high school play and looking forward to the future, Vasil believes the competitive edge that he brings to the diamond is something that he hopes he can bring to the Cavaliers when he steps on their campus and hopes that helps the team get back on top again. However, he also agreed that he has a number of things to work on.

“I am working on developing other pitches in my repertoire and overall strength and conditioning.”

Though the Catholic League MVP can’t wait to take his talents to the University of Virginia, he isn’t quite ready to leave his roots.

“Although I am excited to play at the collegiate level, I have absolutely loved my time wearing the BC High uniform and playing for Coach Walsh,” Vasil emphasized. “I look forward to my senior year and hopefully bringing home a Super 8 championship!