Former Gryphon picks Appalachian State

Former Rocky Mount pitcher Ryan Waldrep will apparently play college baseball at Appalachian State.

Waldrep, a lefty who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs around 200 pounds, made a verbal commitment to the school this week according to the ImpactBaseball.com website.

Waldrep, who left Rocky Mount after a stellar sophomore season, has spent the last two years playing both basketball and baseball at South Brunswick in Southport.

In 2006, Waldrep was the NEW 6 Baseball Player of the Year - going 4-2 and setting a school record for the lowest ERA in school history - 0.15 - the fourth lowest in N.C. state history.

Here is an excerpt from a column by the Wilmington Star-News sports writer Chuck Carree about Waldrep's draft chances come June:

At 6-foot-5, 205, Waldrep intrigues me because I know little about him, except he played high school basketball and he is left-handed.

"I don't know if he is one everybody is on,'' said one scout, who described him as a sleeper.

Waldrep pitches comfortably at 86-87 mph and tops out at 88 mph.

"He is a guy I would at least like to keep an eye on,'' the scout said. "I only saw him briefly. He is a big kid. His arm worked OK and his throwing angles are good. He might be throwing harder than that in a couple of years.''

Waldrep is leaning toward signing with either Appalachian State or Elon after deciding not to pursue college basketball. He has qualified academically with more than 1,200 on the SAT and a 3.5 grade-point average.

Last week, Elon saw him pitch against Hoggard, when he threw three innings and struck out eight and allowed one unearned run. He says only two players made contact for outs. The run he allowed reached on a passed ball.

"He's got potential,'' said South Brunswick coach Lee Shelton. "I don't think he has fully been tapped out.''

Waldrep said his curve has improved since he received pointers last summer at Appalachian State's camp, where he said they clocked his fastball at 90 mph. He also throws changeups down in the strike zone to keep hitters off balance.

To solidify his future draft status, he hopes to add several miles per hour to his fastball.

"I have to learn to focus a little bit better too,'' he said.

While I have never seen Waldrep pitch, my guess is he will benefit from three years of college. The same can be said of virtually every high school senior.