Newman A Three-Sport Athlete With Two-Way Potential

ARCHBOLD - How good of an athlete is DJ Newman?

The Archbold High School junior has earned first-team honors in football and basketball this year … and his best sport is yet to come.

“I think it’s a good thing playing three sports,” related Newman, a quarterback on the gridiron and the top player in the winter on a basketball squad that, like the football team, captured a NWOAL championship. “You’re competitive all the time, you’re not just focusing on baseball year ’round. Mixture is a great thing, you don’t get bored with it. But the cons are, you don’t do much baseball stuff during football and basketball.”

The 15th-ranked 2022 shortstop in Ohio looks to follow in the footsteps of recent Archbold Division I college baseball recruits Rigo Ramos and Kade Kern. Ramos is a pitcher at Bowling Green while Kern is a highly-regarded freshman outfielder at Ohio State.

“I’ve talked with mainly MAC schools and a few schools around here,” Newman said of his recruitment to date. “I can’t get to showcases now with basketball going on, but I’m planning on getting in the groove throwing and hitting once basketball is over. I’ll be all in on showcases and, hopefully, have good seasons with Archbold and Ohio Elite.”

It was his first season on the Ohio Elite travel team when college baseball started to become realistic in the eyes of Newman.

“I always loved sports at a young age and thought I wanted to play in college,” Newman reflected. “Baseball comes naturally, I thought it was so fun and that I wanted to do it at the next level. My first summer with Ohio Elite is when I saw I could actually do it and it wasn’t just the thought of it.”

Interest in the 55th-rated junior in the state heated up immensely last summer.

“Most saw me on PBR with my numbers, and a few saw me at the Future Games,” noted Newman, who had the top time in the 60 on Team Select at the Future Games in addition to the second best infield velocity, exit velocity and fastball. “That was sweet playing with all those great players. It was the best of the best. I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a good time and got some hits. It was an amazing experience.”

Lessons were learned according to Newman.

“It taught me I’ve got to work harder,” said the 17-year-old, who had a time of 6.68 in the 60 to go along with a 95 exit velo off the tee, 84 infield velo and 86 mile-per-hour fastball during workouts on the first day of the Future Games. Additionally, Newman went 3-for-3 at the plate against Team Massachusetts to close out the event. “People are always going to be better than you. It gives you a reality check that you need to work harder.”

Where Newman fits in at college is still unknown.

“Some think I could do both,” Newman said of pitching and shortstop. “I only want to pitch as a two-way, I don’t want to go as a PO.”

Dylan Hefflinger, Northwest Ohio scout for PBR, sees a lot of promise in the 17th-rated uncommitted 2022 in the state.

“DJ is a legit two-way prospect who showed well this past summer at the Northeast Future Games,” Hefflinger explained. “An athletic shortstop/right-handed-pitcher, he runs a 6.6, has an exit velo in the upper-90s and can step on the bump and sit in the mid-80s with a playable breaking ball. College coaches will be getting a true three-sport athlete who excels in all three, earning first-team all-league honors in football and basketball this year, leading Archbold to league titles in both sports."

In addition to the impressive numbers, Newman believes there is more he can provide a college program.

“I’ll bring competitiveness and a great attitude,” pointed out Newman, who credits his father, Doug, along with Archbold coaches Dick Selgo and Jeff Brunswick with being the biggest influences in his game. “I have that wanting-to-win no matter what. I’m about giving my best all the time.”

Improvement has come through that desire and strong work ethic.

“I've gotten a lot stronger,” noted the 6-0 170-pounder. “I’m trying to put on extra weight to gain more strength. I think that will help with a lot of things on the field.”

The understanding additional strides must be made is not being overlooked.

“I need to improve my fielding,” Newman admitted. “My hands need to be a little quicker when you get to the next level. I also want to improve my hitting, and with pitching you always can get better.”

A 3.3 student undecided on a major at this point, Newman has no time frame when it comes to making a college decision.

“I hope to get back at it with baseball after basketball is over,” explained Newman, who has led Archbold to an 18-4 record entering tournament action after a 3-3 start to the year. “I hope we have a great baseball season and that I can catch some eyes of coaches. With covid, it’s been a little crazy with recruiting. We’ll just have to see what happens.

“I know it’s not realistic to stay too close to home, but I have a lot of family that would like to see my games so I’d like to stay closish,” Newman added. “So maybe I could stay in Ohio, Michigan or Indiana.”