Heading north ... and upward
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Alex Stobert wants to move a little closer — to his home and his dream.
That's why the 2016 Knoch graduate and Tallahassee Community College sophomore right-hander has verbally committed to Miami of Ohio University for baseball in the fall.
The 6-foot-3 pitcher is expected to slide in as the Redhawks' ace pitcher, replacing junior Nick Ernst. The latter figures to be selected in the MLB amateur draft in June.
“They offered me a pretty good (financial) package to come up there and presumably be their No. 1 guy,” Stobert said. “That's what I want to be.
“I want to be somebody's ace.”
Stobert has been the ace of the Eagles' staff in Tallahassee so far this spring. He is 3-1 with three saves, sporting a 2.49 earned run average. He has 56 strikeouts and only six walks in 50.2 innings pitched.
Last year, Stobert was 2-2 with a 6.20 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 45 innings.
“It was a matter of maturity for me,” Stobert said. “It was a big adjustment, coming down here and pitching college ball.
“The season is longer and you're facing high-quality hitters. This (Panhandle) conference is very, very good.”
Tallahassee's conference rival, Chipola, had 11 of its 25 players selected in last year's amateur draft.
“That was the most players drafted off any college baseball team, any division, in the entire country.”
Stobert spurned offers from Florida Atlantic, South Alabama and Georgia Southern to return to the northern part of the country.
“I've been away from home for a while, which has been good for me because I've grown up quite a bit,” he said. “But I wanted to come back and go to school closer to home.
“It was tempting to keep pitching in the south, but I would have been just another arm at any of those three schools. I want a chance to stand out. My dream is the major leagues. This is my best shot at getting there.”
Danny Hayden is in his fifth year at Miami. He won the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division title his first season, sporting an 18-9 conference record.
Three consecutive losing seasons followed, but the Redhawks are off to a 15-9 start this season and have only two seniors on the pitching staff.
“I like what the team may look like next year — and what it may do this year,” Stobert said.
Stobert will continue his major in communications at Miami. His fastball has been clocked at 92 miles per hour this season.
He was 7-0 with a 1.81 earned run average as a junior on Knoch's 2015 state championship team.
“My goal since I was a little kid has been to pitch in the major leagues,” Stobert said. “Obviously, there's a lot of steps to go, but this is one of them.”
