Projectability Is High For BC Commit Kipp

STAMFORD, Ct. - Added weight is just the start of what projects to be a big future in the game of baseball for Kyle Kipp.

“Hitting the weight room has been big for me,” explained Kipp, who recently made a commitment to Boston College. “I’ve always been a skinny kid … 150 pounds.”

But the Westhill High School junior is now up to 175 pounds and with it his velocity on the mound has also risen.

“I started at ATP 11/2 years ago and my velo has gone up,” the ninth-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in New England noted. “I was 77 at the beginning of my freshman year and I’m at 90 now. I’ve incorporated more mobility and added more muscle.”

Help has come from pitching coach Max Catapano along with Brian Donatrio at ATP and all the coaches at Baseball U, in particular Patrick Vigilio.

“I’ve cleaned up my mechanics and that’s had a big play in my added velo,” Kipp said.

Boston College took notice.

“They first reached out to me the fall of my sophomore year after a PBR event with Baseball U,” Kipp related. “My first call was with coach (Alex) Trezza, but after he left it went quiet a bit. There’s a new pitching coach (Kevin Vance) this year and I started talking with him at the beginning of summer. That finally led to an offer a few weeks ago and I accepted a weekend later.”

The projectability is one of many things that stood out about the 6-1 175-pounder.

“The pitching coach said he likes my arm slot and how fluid my mechanics are,” Kipp pointed out. “He saw a ton of upside and potential with how my mechanics are. There’s also still room to grow two or three inches and put on 20 to 30 pounds, so he saw a lot of upside in me there as well.”

A large number of schools, especially in the northeast, were also interested in the 21st-ranked New England junior, including Wofford, Radford, James Madison, UConn, St. John’s, Fordham, Bucknell and Northeastern, but Kipp took a liking to BC.

“I loved everything about the school,” Kipp said. “The location, it’s close to home, a three-hour drive. It’s a great academic school, it’s Division I Power 5 baseball and it’s in the ACC which was another goal of mine. I loved the atmosphere when I visited. There’s not one single thing I didn’t like about it.”

His performance at the Future Games played a role as well.

“The pitching coach saw me there,” Kipp noted about the PBR event in Georgia the beginning of August. “That helped a lot with exposure and recruitment with all the other schools. That’s where a lot of them saw me. It not only helped with BC, but the whole recruiting process in general.”

It helped the 16-year-old fulfill a long-time aspiration.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I started playing,” Kipp admitted. “I’ve been dreaming my whole life of playing pro baseball and playing in college is a step to get there. I want to do what I love until my arm says enough, hopefully that won’t be until my late-30s or early 40s.”

But it did not come about without some difficulties.

“Covid definitely had a huge negative impact on the process,” Kipp explained. “With the down period scouts couldn’t see you. There were no official visits and I had to be the one that was always calling them.

“But I liked looking at every school, looking up the program and exploring what each school from different parts of the country had to offer.”

A 3.4 student planning to major in the business field, Kipp expects to be a key part of the ACC program that plays in the Atlantic Division.

“I’ll definitely bring, honestly, a great arm,” Kipp said. “I’ll benefit the program wherever they have me pitching and, hopefully, I’ll help them make a run to Omaha. I like to be on top of things so I’ll bring good motivation and be a big voice to the program. I’m also proactive, always helping out.”

To know where his future college home is brings a sense of relief.

“It was very exciting to call and say I accept your offer,” Kipp said. “It was one of the most exciting moments of my life for me, my parents and my brother. It was exciting for everyone. It felt awesome to say where I want to spend the next four years of my life.”

The fifth-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher from Connecticut can not wait to see what lies ahead at BC.

“I’m looking forward to being occupied starting at 7 a.m. with lifting and then going to classes,” Kipp said. “I hate to be bored. I’m looking forward to all the work and meeting all my new teammates.”