Knoch's Shinsky commits to Ohio
JEFFERSON TWP — Cole Shinsky talked to his brother, Connor, about avoiding a Mid-American Conference rivalry during the lead-up to his verbal commitment to play baseball at Ohio University Tuesday.
Connor, who will be a redshirt freshman on Kent State University's football team this fall, didn't want to let future rivalries get in the way.
“I asked him a few times if maybe I should go to Kent,” said Cole Shinsky, who will be a senior at Knoch this year. “He said 'Go wherever you are happy.' Now, obviously he wants to start a rivalry.”
Cole Shinsky, who is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound left-handed pitcher, expects to compete for playing time as a freshman with the Bobcats.
Ohio finished 36-21 last season, including a 17-10 record in MAC play.
During his junior year, Shinsky accrued a 10-0 record with a 1.29 ERA and 85 strikeouts. Shinsky also had interest from Florida International, North Carolina State, Youngstown State, St. John's and Pittsburgh.
Shinsky helped Knoch finish with a program-best record of 23-2 on its way to the program's first-ever WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles as a junior.
While pitching for the Ohio Glaciers this summer, Shinsky — along with fellow senior teammate Alex Stobert — were picked to participate in the Perfect Game National Championship showcase earlier this summer.
Shinsky was 5-1 for the Glaciers, who are based out of Youngstown, Ohio.
“The teams we played all summer were just as good if not better than the state playoff teams,” Shinsky said. “We played a lot of 17-year-old teams. I saw a lot of Division I players on the teams we played against this summer. This summer was definitely a step forward and this fall will be another step forward hopefully.”
Shinsky, who was in line to play quarterback for Knoch's football team, won't be on the gridiron in the fall. He's focusing on trying to get in the best shape possible.
Shinsky plans on taking August off and only throwing two or three times in September.
“Pretty much, I want to maintain what I did last year with more velocity,” Shinsky said. “I have good control of everything last year, I would like to get a little more movement on my curveball.”
As for the rivalry with his brother, Shinsky looks forward to it.
But after his campus visit, Shinsky feels he's found a home at Ohio University.
“They have a winning program,” Shinsky said. “Also, when I got to campus and I saw everything around there, I loved every second of it.”
