One-Day Recruitment Lands Dean At Cincinnati

COLUMBUS - Uncommitted the summer before senior year started had Charles (CJ) Dean a bit anxious.

“I was a little nervous,” the 64th-ranked 2021 in Ohio admitted. “As a kid growing up I thought there would be a few more schools, but at the same time I thought someone would find me that needs me bad enough. I knew it would end well.”

In a one-day recruiting process, that proved to be the case with a commitment to Cincinnati.

“I played this summer with Bo Jackson Elite,” the senior from Centennial High School explained. “Cory Valentine had connections and reached out to Cincinnati. He’s the one that set me up and I’m really thankful to him.

“I didn’t talk to them until almost the end of summer. They called and offered me to play with them. He’d heard things before and showed interest, but it was just talking to Cory, not me. 

“I talked to my family, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Cincinnati. Later that day I called them and committed. It was all spontaneous.”

Suddenly, the 6-0 175-pound two-way prospect was off the board.

“The biggest thing I looked at is, God forbid, if I could not play baseball again, what school would give me the best future,” Dean noted. “I’ve seen the campus multiple times … everything about it was good.”

There had been a visit to Ohio Dominican and Eastern Michigan, Ohio University and Southern also had high interest in Dean before Cincinnati came into the picture.

“The name Cincinnati and what they’re known for, the campus, the sports, the program,” Dean said when asked why UC. “That all kind of separated it from everything else.”

The level of play was not a major factor according to Dean.

“The first school I heard from was Division I, then it slowed down and I wasn’t talking to anyone,” Dean reflected. “Then it jumped up as summer started, most were D-I and D-II.

“Division I is good, I love that level, but there is good baseball at every level,” Dean continued. “I wasn’t focused on Division I itself, I just think Cincinnati was the best fit for me.”

With a 3.9 GPA and strong interest in sports medicine and physical therapy, Dean brings plenty of positives when it comes to being part of a baseball program.

“They like me as a pitcher, but said I can try outfield,” related Dean, a right-handed pitcher who has touched 89 on the radar gun and an outfielder with 6.70 speed in the 60 that has a 99 exit velo. “Being two-way was my main priority. I think I can have a real impact on them. I think I have the skills to be effective at that level.”

A lot of hard work has helped the cause.

“I’ve been going to the (Bo Jackson) Dome every day doing speed work, outfield throws, just keeping busy,” Dean said. “There is always something you can improve upon no matter how good you think you are.”

The drive to get better never ends according to the 17-year-old.

“The mental aspect needs to improve,” Dean explained. “Baseball is the toughest sport out there. You do something bad and you have to forget about it and go onto the next.”

That proved important when dealing with COVID-19.

“All these schools were hoping to come out and see me in the spring, then I was going to finalize things in the summer,” Dean said. “I had a decent amount of them that were going to come see me in the spring, but the virus slowed it all down. When high school cancelled, they said they’d see me in the summer.

“When that happened, I had to get myself out there. Cory did as much as he could do since schools couldn’t come see me in person.”

After all, the desire to play college baseball had been there for Dean a long time.

“Since I picked up a baseball I knew I wanted to make a name for myself,” Dean said. “I knew when I started playing rec league and stepped on the field I wanted to do something with this.”

In one day the dream was fulfilled.

“What a great relief, a great feeling, a great opportunity,” Dean concluded. “My family was all ecstatic. I called my grandma, my uncle … all the people that helped me. My mom was in tears. My dad, my sister, my brothers … everyone was very proud.”