Recruiting Process Has Ups And Downs For Brancel

HUNTSBURG - A recruiting process that started out in a big way has slowed down immensely for Dom Brancel. But the Hawken junior is not letting it bring him down, instead it has the top-ranked uncommitted 2023 in the state working harder than ever to reach his goal of playing at the next level.

“I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing, be in the weight room four days a week and going to camps,” related Brancel, who went to a Bradley camp this month and is going to one at Ball State in January. “I’m hoping to show schools the great qualities about myself and my abilities as a baseball player.”

Recruitment began freshman year with Virginia Tech the first college to make contact with Brancel. Notre Dame, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State and Pittsburgh were among others making inquiries into the catcher, now rated fourth among juniors in Ohio behind the plate.

“I had a really good season and was talking with 10 to 12 schools including seven or eight Power 5,” Brancel reflected. “I didn’t have any offers, though, schools wanted to see me in person. But then Covid came into play. Then the summer going into my junior year I didn’t have a super season and a lot of them dropped out.

“It’s been nothing like I expected as a freshman,” the 5-10 185-pounder admitted. “My coaches and everyone around me told me how it was going to be and that I’ll have a lot of offers and decisions to make, but it hasn’t turned out to be the same path that others take. It’s disappointing that’s the way it has gone.”

Even a visit scheduled in November never materialized.

“They just stopped responding,” Brancel said of a potential trip to the Naval Academy.

It has the 27th-ranked 2023 in Ohio more determined than ever.

“The main thing now is to try and get bigger, stronger, faster so I can go out next season, be explosive and hopefully spark some eyes,” Brancel noted.

So what about the 17-year-old are colleges neglecting to see?

“I think they’re missing not only the abilities I bring as a baseball player, but the work ethic I bring every day and the grind,” Brancel explained. “I’m gonna push my teammates so we can reach our potential 110 percent every day.”

That comes with the territory behind the plate.

“I started catching at age nine,” Brancel said. “I like being able to see the whole field and being part of every play. My dad was a catcher and I’ve always wanted to be like him. He still works with me as much as he can to help out. He said I’ve passed him as a player.”

A participant in the Future Games for Team Ohio in late summer, Brancel is hoping improvement on the field brings renewed intrigue from schools at the next level.

“At this point in time I’d like to open the doors back up and get started with some different schools,” Brancel pointed out. “Up until now I’ve gone to a few PBR events and had some interest from college coaches there. I’ve also had one or two calls from coaches seeing video, but a lot of my exposure has been in big tournaments and coaches seeing me there.”

An exit velo approaching 100 and a pop time less than 2.0 are numbers that Brancel has shown to go along with 77 velocity behind the plate and a 7.07 time in the 60.

“The biggest feedback I’ve had is with my arm strength,” Brancel said of where coaches feel he needs to get better. “The biggest thing is they don’t know if I can throw runners out. I know I can do that. I’ve been working hard on that and just trying to fix some little things.

“For me, the biggest improvement I’m working on now is with my glove. This past season I had a little too much glove movement and I just need to keep it simple.”

While working on getting better at different aspects of his game, there are other valuable skills that Brancel brings to the table,  

“One big strength is hitting, my ability to drive in runs and control the bat,” Brancel explained. “With catching I do a good job of receiving as well as controlling the pitching staff. That’s one of the most important parts of catching, to be able to go out and settle pitchers down and get them back in the zone.”

Exercise science or kinesiology are potential majors for the 3.6 GPA student, who has no definitive blue print when it comes to a college.

“At this point in my life now, I want to stay within an eight-hour range of home,” Brancel said. “Bigger or smaller schools, that doesn’t matter in my decision, I just don’t want to be 30 hours or even just 10 minutes from home.”