LANGLEY CITY, B.C. - “I’ve always wanted to play against the best competition and to do that you’ve got to go to the SEC.”

That is the reasoning behind a commitment to Kentucky by Jacob Zibin, an incoming sophomore at Langley High School.

“Last fall I went with the Langley Blaze freshman team to Florida and the recruiting coordinator saw me,” Zibin reflected about the initial interest from Kentucky from assistant Will Coggin. “We’ve been in touch ever since.”

In touch to the point of the top-rated 2023 in British Columbia receiving an offer and eventually committing to make Lexington, Ky., his future home.

“My Langley coach put some videos together and also put in a good word with Kentucky,” Zibin noted. “They ended up face-timing with my parents and me and gave a serious offer that was too good to pass up. I know it’s a long time before I graduate, but I’ll need that time to prepare for the SEC.”

Increased velocity helped the cause in getting attention from Kentucky.

“I’ve definitely improved from last fall until now,” pointed out the 6-4 195-pound right-handed pitcher. “I was topping out at 83 but from then until now I’ve gained 15 pounds and my velocity has gone up five or six miles an hour since then. I’ve just been working hard in the weight room, staying consistent with my long toss and staying healthy. I’m trying to stay as nimble as possible while trying to put on muscle.

“I’ve also made development with the pitching coach of the Blaze, Zack Miller. He’s helped me with good mechanics and my build, trying to get a good base with my legs.”

It helped draw interest from Kentucky.

“When I was talking with (head) coach (Nick) Mingione, I was curious what they liked about me and he said they like my frame and projectability with my body,” noted Zibin. “I’m big and strong. They also like that I’m able to throw three pitches for strikes in any count and the velocity is there.

“Besides from a baseball point, we got along as people and hit it off talking to each other. I also talked to the pitching coach, Dan Roszel, and he said I’m hitting all the right spots in my mechanics. They’re great people there with a good philosophy on how to develop me as a player and person.”

That was vital in the final decision to attend school located 38 hours from home.

“That’s something we discussed, my mom likes me being close to home,” explained Zibin, who has never been closer to Kentucky than time spent in Toronto, nine hours northeast of Lexington. “The head coach is a great person, and talked about developing the person and student before he talked about developing the baseball player. That sold my mom on going to Kentucky.

“I was comfortable with the idea,” added Zibin. “My dad was leaning the same way as me. We’re super excited about the whole thing.”

There was also approval given from Jaden Brown, a member of the Canada Junior National Baseball team who was a freshman at Kentucky this past season.

“He said he liked the program,” Zibin said. “I also talked with Jamie Bodaly, head coach of the Langley Blaze and he said it was a great place. Everything fell into place to go there.

“I had a few others interested, but nothing as serious as Kentucky. I just feel it was a good fit for me.”

The decision is only a step, however, toward the long-time dream.

“My goal since I was little is to play in the majors,” Zibin related. “Playing college baseball at a high level, or even high school baseball at a high level, is a stepping stone to the majors.”

Admittedly, Zibin was unsure the process would move so fast.

“I just started the recruiting process last fall and I wasn’t expecting to commit so soon,” Zibin said. “But once Kentucky gave me an offer I couldn’t pass up I talked it over with my family and everything lined up in place. They have great academic support and that was definitely one of the factors.”

A 3.8 student considering a possible major in math, Zibin now puts his attention on improvement.

“I’m trying to focus on going to the gym and getting as strong as possible,” Zibin explained. “I need to fill out a little bit.”

That will be important in an attempt to reach future ambitions.

“My goal by the end of high school is to throw 95 miles an hour,” noted Zibin, who has touched 90. “To do that I have to do all the little things, go to the gym and put on muscle. I also need to be pitching against better competition. That pushes myself to do better.

“I also need to work on when to throw which pitch. Right now I have three pitches that are working good for me, but I’ve definitely not mastered them. I’m not always going to have my A game, so I need to work on that.”

The prospects ahead bring high expectations from Zibin as well.

“I think I can bring to the program a big dominant pitcher that loves to compete,” Zibin said. “I can bring three pitches, including a high-velo fastball. I can be a dominant presence on the mound. My goal is to be the Friday night starter.”

***** Photos courtesy of David Zuskind *****