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Whitley

Posted by James DeMidio at Jan 8, 2015 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

Prep Baseball Report

 

Dan Cevette
Director, New York

Name:
Garrett Whitley
High School: Niskayuna High School
Position: CF
Best Tool: Speed and Power
State Rank: 1
Commitment: Wake Forest

Scouting Report
Garrett Whitley, OF, Niskayuna HS, NY (2015)
Whitley stands an athletic 6-foot-2 195-pounds with a great baseball body. The Wake Forest commit has a plus arm roaming the outfield with exceptional speed running 6.5-6.7 60 yard dash times all day long. At the plate he shows a smooth balanced approach generating plus power to all fields. He is arguably the No.1 prospect in the Northeast moving forward to next years draft. He is ahead of Zach Sullivan (OF, Corning HS) who was a 14th round draft pick this year out of New York.

PBR sat down with the No. 1 prospect in New York's class of 2015 rankings Garrett Whitley for a dive inside his high-level game. Here's what we learned.

 

PBR: Tell us where you grew up, when did you start playing baseball, and who were your baseball influences and why.

 

Whitley: I was born in Melrose, MA, but I moved to Niskayuna, NY when I was 3 and I've been here since. I started playing baseball in the backyard with my dad when I was 2, and then I got into organized baseball as soon as I could, with t-ball when I was 5. My personal baseball influence has always been my dad; he is the one who instilled the work ethic that I credit for any success that I have or will have in the future. Not personally, I always looked up to Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz when I was little (I'm a Red Sox fan), and now I really like Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen.

 

PBR: You have been receiving a lot of positive press lately. How does it feel?

 

Whitley: It's a little surreal. Coming from the Northeast and playing American Legion in the summer, I've been somewhat hidden up here, but after East Coast Pro and Area Codes things changed. It was quick, too. I just keep doing my thing and working hard because regardless of what people say now, I know that there is still a lot of work to do.

 

PBR: You picked Wake Forest as your school of choice. Tell us your top three, best offers, and why WF?

 

Whitley: When I was choosing a school, I had pretty much narrowed it down to Wake Forest and Fordham. I wasn't particularly heavily recruited at the time. After this summer, I heard from a few more big schools, but Wake is the place for me. It is in a great area of the country, it has excellent academics, and they play some of the most competitive baseball in the nation. Plus, it just felt right when I was on campus.

 

PBR: We know your very talented at the plate and in the OF. Tell us all about your strengths, weaknesses. Tell us the first time you realized you were going to be a special player.

 

Whitley: I think that my best strength is my work ethic. I know that if I don't put in the work, I'm never going to achieve my goals, so I'm willing to devote everything to doing just that. Tools-wise, I think my best traits are my speed and power. I've been doing a lot of work to improve both of those as well because I know I need to make gains. Two aspects of my game that need work at the moment are my throwing arm and base running technique. As far as a "writing on the wall" moment, I'd have to say it was at the East Coast Pro and Area Code showcases. Those were my first opportunities to play against the top competition in the country, and I found that I could play with all of them. I don't know if it would be considered to be "writing on the wall", but it certainly helped me prove to myself that I can compete at that level.

 

PBR: Your ranked No. 1 New York by PBR. How does that feel considering the size and talent in the state?

 

Whitley: Well, to be honest, I don't know exactly how I feel about it.  New York is a state full of great baseball players, and I'm certainly honored to have that distinction, but it is not something that I ever think about. I've just been training hard and looking forward to next spring.

 

PBR: What's your training look like this winter? Goals for the spring?

 

Whitley: During the winter, I lift 4 days a week, run twice a week, and hit 5 days a week. For the spring, my goal is to just play hard, play loose, have fun, and see how everything plays out.

 

PBR: Who is the best player you will see this spring? Best team?

 

Whitley: The best player I'll face this spring is probably a pitcher who I played with at the Metropolitan Classic this year, Ian Anderson. He plays for the team that will probably also be the best team we'll face, Shenendehowa.

Stories On Whitley

 

 

 

 

 


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Capovani

Posted by James DeMidio at Jan 8, 2015 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: NICK GALLO, SCHALMONT

Schalmont football coach Joe Whipple surmised something needed to be different about his Sabres' offense in 2014. It revolved around the ability to throw the football with senior quarterback Nick Gallo.

Schalmont's running attack helped the team advance to the state Class B title game in 2013. Enhancing Gallo's throwing skills as Schalmont's quarterback elevated the offense to new heights in 2014, which helped the Sabres win the program's fifth Section II title in six years and advance to another state final appearance.

"Coach said he needed a spark," Gallo said. "I tried to be one."

Gallo completed 69 of 118 passes for 1,214 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 1,220 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns. Those numbers easily could have been much more gaudy had Gallo stayed on the field longer as the Sabres (school-record 727 points scored) often built monstrous first-half leads.

"Nick really made plays. He did," Whipple said. "I wanted more from him this season and he gave it to us."

"This year was something special. These are kids I have been playing football with since I was 6 years old," Gallo said.

Gallo credited the help he received from senior teammates Anthony Yezzo and Dalton Cooke regarding his development as a quarterback.

"If I didn't have the help of those two guys, we wouldn't have gone anywhere as close as we did," Gallo said.

 

FIRST TEAM

Center

Andrew Hewitt, Sr., Schalmont: Delivering the snap is always important, especially when considering the Sabres operate in the pistol set, and Hewitt came through in a big way in earning Reinfurt Division first-team status.

Guard

Matt Capovani, Sr., Schalmont: A potent two-way force, Capovani proved to be a handful and was a major reason the team scored 727 points on its way to the state Class B final.

Robert Thivierge, Sr., Schuylerville: One of only two starters not returning in 2015, Thivierge earned first-team West Division honors as a true catalyst in the Black Horses' vaunted rushing attack.

Tackle

Adam Dahl, Sr., Holy Trinity: A first-team Class C Central Division all-star, Dahl played for the North squad at the Exceptional Seniors game.

Logan Hoyt, Sr., Hoosick Falls: A first-team Class C North Division all-star, Hoyt excelled on both sides of the ball for the Section II champions.

Tight end

Brendan Maloney, Sr., Holy Trinity: Also an excellent defensive player, Maloney showcased his skills vs. Whitehall when he hauled in 10 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown in a 23-20 win.

Quarterback

Nick Gallo, Sr., Schalmont: The Reinfurt Division Player of the Year was the Times Union Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

Running back

Chase DeLossantos, Sr., Mechanicville: In his fourth varsity season, DeLossantos wanted to be known for his offensive exploits — and rushing for a school-record 2,109 yards and 21 touchdowns certainly qualifies.

Hunter Gac, Sr., Schalmont: The Reinfurt Division Offensive Player of the Year ran for 1,442 yards and 26 touchdowns, plus led Section II with 202 points.

Shelton Alston, Sr., Cohoes: Also a first-team selection in 2013, Alston led the Tigers with 1,405 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Wide receiver

Cam Ives, Sr., Fonda: A first-team Class C South Division selection, Ives hauled in 36 passes for 467 yards and eight touchdowns.

Shane Parry, Sr., Voorheesville: A first-year varsity player, Parry caught 25 passes for 579 yards and nine touchdowns (including five in the Class C quarterfinals against Mechanicville).

All-purpose

Pat Hart, Sr., Fonda: The Braves' all-time leading rusher gained 1,246 yards on the ground and 333 yards receiving — combining for 22 touchdowns — in his third varsity season.

Kicker

Justin Rohrwasser, Sr., Holy Trinity: The team's quarterback was potent on kickoffs and delivered field goals covering 31, 34, 29, 35, 33 and 37 yards (a game-winner against Whitehall).

The Indians swept their second tournament in a row, winning the 2014 Monsters on the Mohawk Tournament!

 

The games were as follows:

 

Saturday, July 5th:  Indians (1) vs Electric City Charge Tournament Team (0)

Saturday, July 5th:  Indians (19) @ Montreal Prospects (0)

Sunday, July 6th:  Indians (6) vs Montreal Titans (1)

Sunday, July 6th:  Indians (2) vs Electric City Charge Showcase Team (0)