Commitment Spotlight: Dillon Orr
August 7, 2020
Today, We had the pleasure of catching up with 2022 RHP Dillon Orr from Shadow Ridge High School. Orr recently made a commitment to the University of Tennessee. Orr was a member of #TEAMARIZONA for the 2019 PBR Future Games and has been on the PBR radar for quite some time as high upside right-handed pitching prospect. He is currently the No. 8 ranked player in the state of Arizona with another update coming up soon. Today, He took some time to answer some questions for us about his college recruiting experience.
Take a look at what Dillon Orr said about his college recruiting experience:
Dillon Orr
Class of 2022 / RHP
Player Information
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Graduating Class: 2022
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Primary Position: RHP
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High School: Shadow RidgeState: AZ
- Summer Team: 2022 Sticks Southwest
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Height: 6-4Weight: 205lbs
- Bat/Throw: R/R
Statistics
Videos
(7/31/19)
PBR: Why did you choose the school you did?
Orr: I chose University of Tennessee because they had everything I was looking for in a college. The baseball facilities are some of the best in the country, year after year the program competes. The South East Conference is one of if not the most competitive conference in the country. Coach Anderson the pitching coach has an amazing track record along with Head Coach Vitello, the campus is absolutely beautiful while being compact enough to walk from class to class without much trouble, and Knoxville is a smaller city with kind of a big city vibe downtown which is a cool atmosphere. The activities for free time are perfect for what I was looking for, the football team draws bigger crowds than most NFL teams which makes for a crazy experience at home games but almost every sports program is top notch, the Tennessee River is only about half a mile from the athletic dorms for fishing and hanging out.
PBR: What other schools were you considering?
Orr: I was considering Arizona State and University of Texas but I decided Tennessee was as close to perfect as it gets for what I was looking for.
PBR: Where did the coaching staff first see you? How did your relationship develop with him?
Orr: One of my Sticks Coaches reached out to Coach Vitello with some of my bullpen video and rapsodo numbers and got a phone call set up, I would call him regularly every other week but there wasn't any baseball happening where they could watch me compete with real hitters. The whole staff was able to see me throw live on their computers later and they got me an offer.
PBR: Do you feel relieved now that the process is over and you can just focus on baseball and not deal with everything that goes into picking a school?
Orr: There is definitely a sense of relief now that I don't have to worry about calling a bunch of different guys throughout the week but the pressure is still on because nothing is promised yet and in order to actually play at Tennessee I have to get better.
PBR: Was there one deciding factor that put your choice over the top?
Orr: The one big deciding factor for me was the location, ASU is a great school and has a great program but I want to go away from home and experience something different, I went to Austin, Texas on the same trip I went to Knoxville and that was when I knew I wanted to go to Tennessee.
PBR: Who has helped you the most to get to where you are today?
Orr: I wouldn't be able to give credit to one person because i've had so many people help me with so many different things that has morphed into one product which is where I am today. I will say my Coach Chase Brewster helped me the most with the recruiting process as far as getting calls set up and reaching out to Coaches but he was definitely not the only one working to get me where I wanted.
PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? Was it easy/difficult?
Orr: At first it was a little intimidating and overwhelming because talking to a coach you have never met before who is high up in the baseball world is just a little scary, but you come to realize they are just normal guys and there is no rush on committing at least for me because I am just now starting my junior year.
PBR: What plans does the coaching staff have in store for you in your freshman season?
Orr: Coach Anderson told me they obviously can't tell me I'm going to start on Friday night or start at all because no one knows where my stuff will be in 2 years but he said I will have to earn my spot in the rotation or in the bullpen if that is how it pans out.
PBR: What is your most memorable baseball moment to date?
Orr: My most memorable baseball moment would be in little league me and my buddy Austin Humphres were on the same team, our team went 18-0 and won the league tournament in the Surprise Stadium which is the Royals/ Rangers spring training game field. It was just a cool experience playing on that big field at 12.
PBR: Who is the best player that you have competed against?
Orr: I would say the best player I have played against was Elijah Green, he is top of the 22' class but I could not get him out and my stuff was on that day, the closest I got to getting him was a broken bat single but he stole second the next pitch. Unreal.
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Scouting Report
6'3" 188 lbs. Big frame - room to add considerable strength. Relatively easy delivery with a clean, fast arm that produced a bunch of downhill strikes with the FB that sat 84-86 with some riding life through the zone. Also flashed a solid 68-71 CB that shows the mamings of being a nice complement to the up and down plan the fastball allows for. The separator is a CH at 72-73 that features excellent arm speed and has real depth - tumbling action. The CH projects as a future plus pitch. He has a tendecncy to get forward which forces him off balance at his finish too often, and has an inconsistent lead arm path, but that's about all that's not to like here. The body, arm speed, direction, and present quality of pitches makes this one a high follow and likely a premium prospect in a couple of years.
6’3 188-pounds, with projectability for strong frame throughout. Mechanically sound delivery and arm action. Stays over the rubber well, allowing for arm to stay on time and use lower have efficiently. Strides in line with good use of working into front leg, forcing himself up and over to finish. Showed feel for three pitches. Fastball jumps out of hand at 83-84 MPH and is aggressively in the zone. Breaking ball at 70-72 MPH, with ability for strikes and for chase. Could benefit from adding slider to maintain aggressiveness in the pitch, rather than working to get on top of the baseball. Change shows fade with good arm speed at 68 MPH. Orr could find himself touching 90 before he knows it.