JEFFERSON TWP — They are only incoming sophomores, but Jake Herrit and Dylan Swarmer have designs on college baseball.

And they are doing plenty of travel to get there.

Herrit is a center fielder-third baseman-pitcher while Swarmer is a catcher. Both are Knoch students and both have been members of the All-American Baseball program in Trafford for five years now.

“Both of those kids are good ballplayers. I think they'll eventually be Division I players,” said Dine Ninemire, director of All-American Baseball.

He would know. Ninemire's program helped 14 players go Division I last year and 18 more advance to Division II or III baseball programs.

All told, his All-American Baseball program in Trafford consists of 26 teams and 330 players.

“We get a lot of kids as young as 3,” Ninemire said. “Obviously, kids ages 3 or 5 don't actually compete, but we begin developing baseball skills to accelerate their progress later.”

Herrit was the only freshman on Knoch's varsity roster last spring. Swarmer was the Knights' junior varsity catcher and batted .350 at that level.

“Some friends of ours told Dan about Jake and he invited him to come down to try out,”Josh Herrit, Jake's father, said. “He's been part of the program ever since. He's not only learned technique, but he's learned how to handle the mental aspect of baseball.

“You fail a lot more than you succeed in that sport. Kids have to deal with the ups and downs without being affected by them.”

Herrit and Swarmer begin going to the All-American Baseball indoor facility twice a week in December. That continues through March and picks up again at the end of the high school season.

This summer, the 15-under team they play on has competed in tournaments in Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. This weekend, they are playing in the WWBA 15-under nationals in Georgia.

“Teams have to be invited to play in that tournament. It involves the best kids at that age in the country,” Herrit said. “Collegiate scouts from all over the place will be checking out those kids.”

Denny Swarmer, Dylan's father, said Dylan was recommended to try out All-American Baseball by Mike Gruich, his Saxonburg age 10 baseball coach.

“It's incredible how many reps these kids have put in,” Swarmer said. “They get specialized position instruction. Dylan has improved his blocking (of errant pitches), footwork, and throwing from behind the plate.

“He was No. 2 on Knoch's varsity depth chart at catcher last year (behind Asa Adams). Now he's hoping to start back there as a sophomore.”

Ninemire said his 15-under team won three of four games in Columbus “before losing to a team that was better than us.”

The team, will travel to Charlotte, N.C., for a tournament later this summer.

“We don't pretend to be the best team,” Ninemire said. “But these kids are getting the opportunity to compete at a very high level. We want to showcase college-type kids. Jake and Dylan fall into that category.

“We're only interested in kids who eventually want to play college baseball. Those two fit the bill.”