FARMINGTON -- Rising senior Tyler Gregg is the 13th best college baseball prospect in the state's Class of 2017, according to rankings released July 18 by Prep Baseball Report.
Gregg, a 6-foot-1, 205-pounder from Farmington, is the fifth-highest ranked right-handed pitcher on the list that's top loaded with four Arkansas Razorbacks verbal commitments. Lonoke shortstop Casey Martin tops the rankings, followed by Greenbrier left-hander Hunter Milligan, Cabot outfielder Evan Hooper and Bryant right-hander Austin Kelley.
While earning a spot on the rankings is an honor, Gregg is the fifth highest-ranked prospect who has not verbally committed to a college. Notable college pledges ranked ahead of Gregg include Greenbrier right-handed pitcher Paxton Wallace and Rogers Heritage third baseman Logan Easley, who are both committed to sign with Wichita State.
In fact, Gregg has yet to receive a scholarship offer. He hopes to change that by participating in a number of camps, including one that begins Wednesday at the University of Central Arkansas and then the Top 96 Division I Coaches Clinic in Norman, Okla. The Aug. 2 camp features instruction by coaches from Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, among others.
"No scholarship offers yet but I haven't really pitched to my ability in front of the right people," Gregg said. "Like at [a camp] at Wichita State, I hit 91 [mph], but no one was watching at the time. None of the coaches anyway. But I'm not too worried about it."
An example of Gregg not pitching up to his ability came earlier this month when he took the mound for the Rawlings Arkansas Prospects-Menard during the Mid-American Super Showcase at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was among a half dozen college recruiters watching Gregg from the stands behind home plate.
Gregg was sharp in retiring the side in order with two strikeouts during the first inning, but had trouble with command during the next two innings. Because he knew a day earlier that Van Horn and other colleges were going to be there to watch him pitch, Gregg didn't have the most restful sleep that night. He also may have been pressing a little to try to impress the coaches.
"It can be nerve wracking," Gregg said. "I've grown up in Fayetteville my whole life and have been watching the Hogs the whole time, so knowing coach Dave Van Horn was going to be there was a chance to prove myself. Arkansas would be a cool place to go, but I know I need to keep my options open."
NCAA rules prevent Van Horn from commenting publicly on prospective athletes, but he reportedly liked Gregg's velocity and the fact he threw two quality off-speed pitches: a curve ball and a slider. Van Horn told Farmington coach Jay Harper that he would continue to evaluate Gregg's progress by sending recruiters to watch him pitch again during the upcoming high school season.
One thing that may be giving colleges pause in taking wait-and-see approach is the fact Gregg was pitching for the first time this past season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, a procedure which repairs a damaged elbow tendon with a tendon from another place in the body.
"Maybe they don't want to take a risk because I already had Tommy John," Gregg said. "But my arm feels better than it ever has and I'm in better shape than I ever have been, hitting 90-91 [mph] every weekend."
Gregg said struggling with control at times is part of the rehabilitation process.
"I just need to keep working on my command and keep improving my velocity," Gregg said. "My goal is to top out at 95-96 [mph] by next season and to do that, I'm working harder than ever every day and when we begin offseason workouts. I'm finally starting to get more movement on my fastball because my arm is starting to loosen up more and more since having the surgery."
In the meantime, Gregg is taking steps to ensure young pitchers don't have to go through the same thing he did.
"I've been giving pitching lessons to kids in Farmington," Gregg said. "Because I had Tommy John, I want to work with as many young pitchers as possible before they start throwing too hard and give them the right [arm] motion, so they don't get hurt. I would hate for one of them to go through Tommy John because it's not something you want to go through, especially when you're a freshman in high school.
"I love working with kids and helping them, especially if they're going to be future Cardinals."
Along those same lines, Gregg plans to become a Physical Therapist by majoring in Kinesiology at whichever college he ends up choosing. Despite no offers at this time, he is receiving regular interest from several junior colleges as well as four-year schools such at Arkansas, Central Arkansas, Wichita State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech.
"I'm not going to rush any part of the recruiting process because choosing where to go to college is a pretty important decision," Gregg said. "I'm just going to stay patient and keep working hard and keep my options open."
Sports on 07/27/2016