Published: November 10, 2005 01:47 pm      

Cass baseball standout signs with Ball State

By BRYAN GASKINS

For the Pharos-Tribune

WALTON — Cass baseball standout Brad Piatt had his pick of scholarship offers from several college programs. In the end, he went with favorite all along.

Piatt signed Wednesday with Ball State after also receiving offers from Bradley, Butler, Indiana, Iowa, IPFW, Purdue and Wright State.

“The coaches are the No. 1 reason I chose Ball State,” Piatt said. “Also, they’ve had like six first-round draft picks in the last six years. That’s another main part of my decision because I want to play baseball after college.”

Piatt is a right-handed pitcher who owns a 20-6 career record at Cass, and he has helped lead the Kings to two straight Mid-Indiana Conference championships. He earned Class 2A all-state and all-MIC honors and received the Kings’ MVP award as a junior after posting a 7-0 record with a sparkling 0.98 ERA. He also batted .390.

“Brad has been a varsity starter since his freshman year, and his dedication to the game and the hours he spends over the summer and the offseason are second to no other athletes,” Cass coach Greg Marschand said. “He is well-deserving of this honor. He has a love and a passion for the game of baseball that you do not teach as a coach. Obviously, he also has been blessed with skill and talents that allow him to be one of the best pitchers in the state of Indiana.

“With his work ethic and passion for the game … this will just be a start to the tremendous future he has in baseball,” Marschand added.

Piatt noted the Cardinals brought in six pitchers in their previous recruiting class, and he expects they will have a total of three or four in his class. He hopes to contribute to the Cardinals’ pitching plans right away.

“They are going to lose a kid to the draft (in 2006), probably in the top three or four rounds, so they are going to need an ace. I don’t expect to do that, but I expect to come in and challenge for a spot as a weekday starter. The conference games are on weekends, and I don’t expect to be a weekend starter right away, but I think I have a chance to be a weekday starter or a weekend reliever,” he said.

Piatt points to velocity as his biggest weapon on the mound and he complements his 92-mile-per-hour fastball with excellent command. Over his sophomore and junior seasons, he totaled 192 strikeouts against just 26 walks — a better than 7-to-1 ratio.

Piatt throws two-seam and four-seam fastballs, and he also gives batters fits with his curveball and changeup.

Piatt plans to use his full arsenal to help the Kings reach their goals in his senior season. They won a school-record 23 games and the MIC championship last spring, and he hopes to build on those accomplishments in 2006.

“I want to go to state,” he said. “We’ll have like nine or 10 seniors on our team, and it will be real helpful to have that experience.”