Virginia Tech Checks All The Boxes For McCann

EASTON, Ct. - Eighth grade was a pivotal year for David McCann. Now three years later, the reclassified sophomore at Avon Old Farms High School is a college commit to Virginia Tech.

“I’m a really good left-handed hitting catcher,” McCann said about what stood out to the Division I university located in Blacksburg, Va. “They’re looking for an offensive catcher.”

It was far from a smooth road to a commitment for the seventh-rated 2023 catcher in New England.

“I had brain surgery in sixth grade and was out for two years after that,” McCann reflected. “I wasn’t allowed to do anything for baseball but I got through it. I was younger then, so it wasn’t as big of a deal.”

Once playing, it did not take long for McCann to draw interest.

“I got back in the spring and by summer I was fine,” McCann related. “I’d been hitting front-toss for a month-and-a-half prior and knew I’d be able to play. Then I started talking with some lower (level) schools. I knew I could play, so I wanted to keep my options open. A high-level D-I in the ACC is where I wanted to play.”

It was at the same time that McCann changed positions.

“I grew up a pitcher and shortstop but in eighth grade I started catching seriously,” McCann noted. “When I went to camps there were 100 shortstops and five catchers, so I thought it would be easier to stand out. I played there once and loved it. I started taking lessons and got good at it. I had a good arm and it was fun.”

Schools like Boston College and Maryland were on the radar but when McCann decided to reclassify at the start of the 2020 summer, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech took an interest along with Virginia Tech.

“With coronavirus giving everyone an extra year, I thought it would give me one year less of that clogged roster,” McCann explained. “Plus, no one could see me last summer so I wanted to give them more of a chance to see me and not rely on video. But it all worked out.”

That is due to a connection made with Virginia Tech.

“I went to a camp there in the fall of 2019 and this summer sent a bunch of video playing with the Dirtbags and Arsenal,” McCann said. “They watched me at the Future Games and liked me.”

The feeling is mutual for the 35th-rated 2023 in New England, who this coming summer will play on a team with three other Virginia Tech commits.

“It checked all the boxes,” McCann said of the Atlantic Coast Conference school he looked into in late November where he saw the campus. “The academics - I want to major in business - and the baseball program are great. I love the area and I loved the layout of the campus. It’s mind blowing how many students they can take care of really well. Only two percent are athletes, so they take care of them really well.”

Although he was unable to see the baseball facilities on the unofficial visit, McCann had seen them at the camp in 2019.

“The baseball facilities are in the top three in the ACC,” McCann pointed out. “I saw them last fall and they’re adding more.”

Making the decision to commit was a no-brainer in the eyes of the 3.5 student at Avon Old Farms, who looks to follow in the footsteps of his father, David, who played college ball at Merchant Marine Academy.

“They have spots available so waiting does nothing, especially when they’re in the ACC,” McCann reasoned. “There was no other option for me.”

The third-rated 2023 catcher in Connecticut believes he can be a major asset to the Virginia Tech program. 

“They want me to be a middle-of-the-lineup lefty-hitting catcher,” McCann said. “They want me to be an impact player as soon as I get there. They’re putting in a new weight room and eye lab where you see pitchers before you actually face them and I feel I can utilize that with my teammates to get better.”

A decision, admittedly, comes with a lot of relief.

“Corona made it really hard for a lot of kids to get seen, even harder than it was in the first place,” McCann explained. “If you’re not going to big showcases and getting good video or if you’re not a pitcher it’s tough.

“To make a commitment was relieving. It’s surreal, it almost doesn’t even feel I’m committed. Now I don’t have to worry and get to focus on the next step.”