Vianney junior third baseman Matt Brown had an impressive list of colleges recruiting him, but whenever he thought about his situation he kept thinking about one of those schools.
Brown knew what that meant, so he went ahead and made an early verbal commitment to continue his baseball career at Arkansas.
"I felt like every time I went somewhere I would compare it to Arkansas," Brown said Tuesday. "I found myself comparing everything to Arkansas. ... It just felt right."
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound power hitter, Brown picked the Razorbacks after narrowing his choices to five schools, including Mississippi State, Mississippi, Texas Christian and Missouri.
"We talked weekly, and I called them up on Thursday and they asked, ‘Where do we stand?'" Brown said. "I told them I've been to all five schools I was considering, and you were No. 1 on my list."
Brown, 17, has put together two impressive high school seasons.
As a freshman, he batted .350 with six doubles, one triple, six home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored and a .427 on-base percentage in helping CBC win the school's first baseball championship.
He transferred to Vianney for his sophomore year, after his father Scott was hired as the Golden Griffins' baseball coach. He batted .319 with six doubles, seven home runs, 21 RBIs, 21 runs scored and a .410 OBP, helping Vianney finished third in Class 4.
"I'm very proud of him, not just for the type of baseball player he is but the type of young man he is," Scott Brown said. "I know this is something he really wants. I'm very proud of him and very happy."
ALTON'S GIBBS MAKES PLEDGE
Alton junior catcher Brent Gibbs made a verbal commitment to Indiana last week, according to PrepBaseballReport.com.
One of the top defensive catchers in the area, Gibbs had a breakout season as a sophomore, when he batted .489 with nine doubles, two triples, five home runs, 42 RBIs, 31 runs scored and a .571 OBP as the Redbirds went 22-11.
MICDS QB MILITELLO PICKS DARTMOUTH
MICDS senior quarterback Thomas Militello recently made a verbal commitment to Dartmouth.
Militello has been one of the area's top quarterbacks this fall, leading the Rams to a 10-0 record, a berth in the Class 4 playoffs and the No. 1 spot in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings.
He has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,190 yards, with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has scored two rushing touchdowns.
Militello is the second Rams senior to make a commitment, following running back-linebacker Michael Scherer's pledge to Missouri.
BELLEVILLE EAST'S ALLEN IMPRESSES
Chase Allen does a little bit of everything for the Belleville East football team, and Lancers coach Tim Funk is surprised his senior standout hasn't received more interest from colleges.
"He's a phenomenal athlete," Funk said. "Illinois State I think is going to offer him. Northern Illinois. There are a lot of schools that are interested in him. He's a three-year starter for us, and just athletically he is phenomenal with his size and his speed."
"His best football is ahead of him," Funk said of Allen (6-3, 221). "He could be a tight end, an H-back. He could be, quite honestly, a defensive end or a stand-up defensive end or a linebacker. He could be a fullback. He could do a lot of different things. I'm just surprised that he hasn't got a full-fledged offer to this point, and quite honestly I'm surprised there aren't a lot of schools that are interested in him."
Allen, who plays linebacker and running back, has been among the area's standouts this fall.
He has a team-high 93 tackles, including nine for losses, with five interceptions, two sacks and one fumble recovery. He has rushed 56 times for 388 yards, an average of 6.9 per carry, and seven touchdowns. He has caught three passes for 70 yards and a score and as a parttime quarterback, he has thrown a 27-yard touchdown pass.
