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Q&A With Hutchinson CC Commit David Tudhope

October 16, 2014

By Sean McCann
Prep Baseball Report Kansas

Coming off a solid junior season in which he helped Blue Valley Southwest advance to the 5A state championship final game, LHP David Tudhope recently announced his commitment to Hutchinson CC. 

We had a chance to visit with Tudhope regarding his decision and several other topics:

PBR Kansas: Why did you choose Hutchinson CC?

Tudhope: It was close enough to home and I really liked the coaches and how they ran the program and the feel of the school. I liked what they do from a baseball point of view and I wanted to be a part of that. It was the best fit for me.

PBR Kansas: What role does the coaching staff expect you to play during your first year on campus?

Tudhope: They expect me to just pitch on campus my first year. Whether I will start or relieve is up to me and how I perform.

PBR Kansas:  What things do you need to improve on before getting to HCC?

Tudhope: I need to work on my athleticism and explosiveness to try to improve my velocity before getting to Hutch. Also I need to work on my changeup too.

PBR Kansas: Outside of your family, who has had the biggest impact on you as a baseball player and why?

Tudhope: Both Coach Duncan (Next Level Baseball academy) and Coach Sabath (Blue Valley Southwest HS head coach) have had a major impact on me as a baseball player because they have both helped me get to the point I am today,  I have enjoyed playing for both coaches and learning from them.

PBR Kansas: What were the highlights of your spring season as a team and individually?

Tudhope: The highlight of my spring season both as a team and individually is the state run we had and making it to the first state championship game in our school’s baseball history.

PBR Kansas:  Tell us about your experience with the Next Level Baseball organization and things they have helped you with in your development.

Tudhope: I have had a great experience playing in the Next Level Baseball organization. They have helped me improve as a pitcher and as a person also. I feel they have done a lot to help prepare me to play college baseball.

PBR Kansas: What is the best advice you would give other high school players regarding the recruiting process? 

Tudhope: The best advice I could give is to just keep playing and having fun and some school will come along and be interested. All it takes is one school to be interested.

PBR Kansas: Who are the three toughest Kansas high school hitters you have faced?

Tudhope: The three toughest hitters I have faced would have to be Connor Kaiser (Blue Valley West, 2015), Tyler Cox (Blue Valley West, 2015) and Blake Shinkle (Blue Valley Southwest, 2015).

PBR Kansas: You have seen a lot of Kansas high school baseball players over the last several months.  Who is one class of 2015 prospect you think might be flying under the radar that people need to know about and why? (outside of your spring/summer teams)

Tudhope: The one prospect I think that is flying under the radar is Cooper Karlin out of Lawrence Free State. I first met him at a showcase and got to see how good of a ballplayer he was. Since then I've faced him a couple of times and he continues to impress me with how he plays. (Editor’s note: Tudhope did his best impression of Nostradamus on this one, Karlin committed to Pittsburg State prior to us posting this article).

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