In a year where nothing is normal, the college recruiting process has been no different. Student athletes are in uncharted territory when it comes to the exploration of where they want to play in college. This year we have four Lakeridge baseball players signing to play college baseball. Many find this impressive because typically only around 9% of high school baseball players end up playing in college. This season nearly half of the players on the field for Lakeridge Baseball will be already signed to play in college.

          Lakeridge senior Cam Clayton is staying close and heading up to the University of Washington. Unlike most current seniors, Clayton was able to visit the school before the pandemic. Clayton decided on UW because “the atmosphere seemed great and the coaches were amazing.” Luckily, Clayton was able to commit early and avoid dealing with most of the complications that Covid created in regards to recruiting. 

         Lakeridge senior Derek Seneker also decided to stay on the west coast and commit to Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. Derek decided on Claremont McKenna not only because of baseball, Seneker also expressed his interest in the school’s “great academic opportunities” and “fantastic location.” He was able to go down to California and visit last summer, giving him the ability to build a great relationship with the coaches. Seneker says that during his visit the school “felt like the perfect fit”. The abnormal offseason that Seneker and many other high school athletes faced ended up being a blessing in disguise. Derek was able to “use that time to get bigger, faster, stronger, and better.” Seneker was also able to travel out of state to still be able to compete and play while OSAA athletics are still shut down. 

        George Eisenhart is traveling farther than any of his teammates and will head to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Eisenhart chose Xavier because Cinicinnati is his “hometown and where all [his] family lives.” He says being able to play college baseball in front of them is a “dream come true”. Eisenhart committed October 2019 and was able to visit Xavier multiple times before the pandemic. Eisenhart’s offseason this year has been unlike any year in the past. Eisenhart hasn’t been able to get in nearly as many game reps, but he is traveling out of state to attend scouting showcases. 

       Josh Schleichardt decided to commit to the University of Utah. Even though he hasn’t been able to visit the campus he was very impressed with the coaching staff and baseball program. Schleichardt was originally committed to Boise State but due to covid, Boise State was forced to shut down their baseball program. Schleichardt went back into the recruiting process all over again. Schleichardt states that “with the help of my trainer and coaches I decided Utah was the best fit for me and my family.” Schleichardt used this offseason to continue to work out and travel to get in front of MLB scouts in hopes of being drafted.