Congrats on your new commitment! What is it about Minnesota that excites you the most?

Minnesota was the perfect all-around opportunity for me both as a student and as an athlete. Most importantly, the coaching staff made me feel extremely welcomed and wanted. Beyond this, they truly do check every box. On the academic side, the Carlson School of Management is extremely well regarded and will open doors in the professional world should my life take me down that path. On the baseball side of things, Minnesota has an extremely competitive program within the B1G along with a history of developing players. In addition, Coach Casey and the rest of the staff have done a phenomenal job developing hitters as Minnesota has been one of the top teams in the nation the last few years in offensive production. After taking all these factors into consideration it was an easy decision to call Minnesota my home.

You have been with Top Tier for quite a few years now. Tell us about your experience.

I’ve been with Top Tier since my 14u season and have had a very good experience within the program. Having the opportunity to go out and represent the program across my chest alongside my brothers was an experience that I am extremely grateful for. Additionally, in the off-season the workouts helped to get me into game shape and gave me time to work on my crafts.

Talk a little bit about the recruiting process and how everything went down.

The recruiting process was a fairly unusual one. Everything kicked off fairly early during the fall of my sophomore year. More and more schools began to show interest
from the fall of my sophomore year all the way into the spring. After visiting a handful of programs I committed to the University of Arkansas and thought that I had wrapped everything up. However, after Coach Vitello decided to take the head coaching job at the University of Tennessee I began to question if Arkansas was the place where I wanted to be. After talking a lot with the people closest to me, I made the extremely difficult decision to re-open my recruitment. However, following this the process was extremely easy and laid back as it became immediately apparent to me that the University of Minnesota was the best place for me to grow for the next four years of my life.

What were some of the priorities you looked at when deciding where you wanted to commit?

First and foremost, I wanted to go to a place where I had a great relationship with the coaching staff. I’ve found that the relationships that are formed through baseball are by far the most important and impactful part of the game, and therefore wanted to make that a priority in my recruitment. Another important factor was the opportunity to play early on in my career in a successful and competitive program. Additionally, I wanted to go to a program that had a great track record in developing players. To me, Minnesota fulfilled every one of these qualifications.

What challenges do you see ahead of you before you get to campus?

The biggest challenge I see in front of myself is to become more physical. I recognize that I currently have a long way to go in order to fill out my frame, and plan on working extremely hard to address that. Beyond the strength aspect, I want to work on becoming a more consistent hitter. Finally, I’d like to continue to refine my all-around defensive game in an attempt to be the best player that I can be.

What are some of the goals you have set for yourself as a college baseball player?

The biggest goal that I’ve set for myself is to contribute to bringing Minnesota to a Super Regional and subsequently to the CWS. On the personal side of things, my goal is to earn significant playing time as a freshman and to be named a freshman all-American. I would like to continue to have success after that and be a high round draft selection following my junior season.

Is there anybody you would like to give a shout-out or thanks to?

There are so many people that have helped me become the player that I am today. First off, and most importantly, I would like to thank my family for the constant support. Since the time I started travel baseball as a nine-year- old, a parent of mine has been at every single game that I have played, with most games both of them being present. They have dedicated an unbelievable amount of time, money, and effort into helping me reach the point I have today. In addition to that, I would like to thank Coach McPherson for helping coach me since the time I was a ten-year old on forward. The memories I have had with him are unforgettable and he is a large reason as to why I enjoy baseball as much as I do today. Coach Glen Hoffmann has coached me since I was fourteen and I cannot say enough good things about him. He has always been therefor advice and has put his life on hold for us every summer to travel around and coach us. Coach Phelps, Coach Plante, and Coach Kenny have all helped me in the recruiting process and given me advice at various times. Additionally, Coach Thompson, Coach Payton, and Coach Lisanti have all went out of their way to help me in various manners and have treated me extremely well. Coach Chapman at Marmion Baseball has worked tirelessly to transform the culture of the program and has turned high school baseball into an enjoyable experience. Finally, Coach Bryce Biel of Legacy Performance has been the strength coach for Marmion for the last year. During this time, he has made an unbelievable difference in helping me grow as an athlete in order to get stronger and faster.