In today’s edition we talk to 2021 Colton Sundloff, RHP 6-4 195 from Stansbury HS, just 30 minutes west of Salt Lake City, along the Great Salt Lake.

Colton has really come on over the last year or so, and his FB velocity has steadily climbed and really taken an uptick since this past February. Sundloff verbally committed to Cal State Fullerton, just after the Area Code Games in August and signed his National Letter of Intent on Saturday with a few friends, and family members watching on. Colton is like most Utah players, that fly under the radar, due to misconceptions about the state of Utah. An under the radar D1 arm that only a few scouts knew about, until this summer, when he attended some high profile events, and was recommended by myself for the Area Code tryouts, while I was working for the Brewers at the time and made the team. Traveling out East to LakePoint for the AC Games, Colton threw well and has put himself on the radar with the four corners Area Scouts.

REPORT: A tall lean 604 195 musc athletic build with room for another 15-20 Lbs at man strength, with the ability to carry another foot to the FB in short order. The delivery is a slow methodical gathering up top and then rides down into his legs through the slope with avg timing and needs to repeat better, yet has some base things to write home about. The arm is loose, like a bullwhip and comes at hitters with deception from a LTQ almost sidearm slot with a rotational finish, that the slot produces. The FB 88-94 has arm side life with run and sink below the belt. Rare mix of S/M type life to also induce tons of GB’s. The SL 82-84 has a late tight frisbee like sweep and can yank a few and land a few. The CH 79-83 has plate sink and hitters swing over the FB/CH combination.

ME: What year in school did the recruiting process begin for you and what was the feeling like, knowing that a school(s) had interest?

Colton: The process started for me, the summer after my sophomore year, as a D1 school from the region saw me in a tournament and offered me two weeks later. From that point, more schools started to show interest and I had 3 D1 offers by the end of that summer. It was really cool to get that kind of attention, but I had some schools I was more interested in, and I knew where I wanted to get to in the end. I was honored by the interest and wanted to keep getting better, to get better offers. You could say it was a springboard for me.

ME: What club teams were you involved with as a youth, and were there any of your teammates that have gone on to play college baseball, or committed this week as you have?

Colton: Since I was young, I’ve been able to play for Mountain West and play with two of my high school teammates, Cayden Clark-CF/Brayden Allie-C, who both signed this week with Dixie State U. When I was 15, we had a team for many of those years, that included Cam Day-RHP Layton HS (Utah), Dax Swenson-MIF Bingham HS (Utah), Landon Frei-SS (Utah), Mason Strong-C Snow Canyon (BYU), Janzen Keisel-RHP Gunnison HS (BYU) and Justis Reiser-LHP (BYU).

ME: Tell me about your pitching style and when did you know that you had the opportunity or talent to play college baseball?

Colton: I’ve been throwing side-arm since I was in tee ball and it’s always been my natural throwing motion. My Freshman year I touched 82 and my sophomore 84-85. My junior year I was 88 when you saw me at an event in St. George in February, but during the shutdown and into the summer my FB took off and really surprised me. I was 88-92 all summer with a high of 94. I knew I was gonna play college baseball from a very young age and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

ME: Who has been your biggest influence coaching wise and what was it, that made them unique or helpful?

Colton: Murph Norris (Mountain West Coach/former CS Fullerton INF’er and MiLB player) saw the talent in me at a young age and was hard on me at a young age. He always told me that it’s a good thing if I’m always on you and it motivated me to be the best I could be.

ME: Who is your favorite MLB team and why? Colton: The Angels - I’ve always liked them and my favorite pitcher was Jared Weaver with his style of pitching and aggressive demeanor.

ME: Who is your favorite player and why?

Colton: In addition to Weaver, I’ve always liked Randy Johnson with his arm slot and his ability to put fear into hitters.

ME: What made you decide to commit to CS Fullerton, and what made it stand out to you?

Colton: I really liked and clicked with their pitching coach Dan Ricabal during the recruiting process and also their past history and winning ways, along with their ability to develop their players for the draft.

ME: If you were to describe yourself as a pitcher, what would your strengths be, and what do you need to improve upon to realize your potential?

Colton: My ability to get ground balls with my arm slot and the movement it creates. I’m able to establish my FB and I work off that all the time, which helps me dominate with that style of pitching.

ME: What piece of advice would you give to players coming from Utah, to help them get recruited, with having college level ability already a given?

Colton: Don't get caught up or worried about results and just focus on the process and what you need to do to get better. It should be about how good you can become and believing in yourself, while working through the tough moments and situations.

NOTE: With the steady and incremental improvements Sundloff has shown year to year, he should adapt to the college game nicely with his style of pitching and belief in himself. Here’s wishing Colton all the best in his upcoming season, as he performs for area scouts throughout the four corners region of the country.