SHREWSBURY, Ma. - A position change that was made a little more than a year ago proved to be perfect when it came to the baseball future of Ben Griffith. The incoming senior at Shrewsbury is now a Binghamton commit.

“My sophomore season of high school I was mostly a position player,” Griffith reflected. “But we needed some pitching and my coach put me on the mound.”

Griffith continued to work on his craft with his travel team.

“I just said let’s go with it and I started getting better and better,” the 41st-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in New England noted. “Once I got serious about it, and in talking with my coaches, I knew I could make it happen. I pitched when I was younger but was never the main pitcher, I always played shortstop.”

But Binghamton took notice of his ability on the mound.

“I emailed them, which is how I did it with a lot of schools, and they got back to me the normal way of inviting me to one of their camps,” Griffith related. “I went to a camp in the fall and visited the campus. Binghamton was always number one on my list and I really liked what I saw on the visit.

“After that I kept a good relationship with them, I sent videos and kept in touch. They came to my first high school game and liked what they saw. They made an offer two weeks after one of my high school games and I accepted the next day.”

The 6-0 165-pounder made an impression on the coaches with the American East Conference program.

“They like my velocity and that I have a quick arm,” Griffith noted. “I have a plus slider and attack with my fastball. I use the count to my advantage and the slider is my out pitch.”

UMass also offered Griffith with Maine, Bryant, Rhode Island and Monmouth other schools that had a strong interest in the 108th-ranked 2023 in New England.

“For me it was the connection with the coaches,” Griffith said of what stood out about Binghamton. “I loved the campus, it was everything I wanted in a big school with the facilities they have. I felt good about how the coaches made me feel welcome.”

Improvement has been vital in helping Griffith become a college commit.

“I’ve really focused on my mobility and working on my mechanics,” explained the 17-year-old. “I really work hard on taking care of my arm to help prevent injuries.”

Griffith credited PBR with playing a major role in his recruiting process.

“PBR is a really good resource for the coaches to see numbers,” Griffith said. “It’s a reliable source that coaches can trust and it got my name out there. I really didn’t get much exposure with my travel team so I took things into my own hands at camps.”

With a 3.89 GPA on a 5.0 scale, business is the planned major for Griffith, who feels he can play a key role at Binghamton after helping Shrewsbury reach the Division I state semifinals this past high school season.

“I believe I can make a good impact on the pitching staff,” Griffith said. “Seven seniors will graduate when I come in so I think I can play a big part in helping lead them to another American East championship.”

To make a commitment to a school like Binghamton brings a lot of satisfaction to Griffith.

“It’s always been my top choice,” Griffith noted. “It was a little stressful after I went there and me and my parents knew it was where I wanted to go.”

Now a reality, Griffith looks forward to his days ahead at Binghamton, which is located a little less than four hours from his home in Shrewsbury.

“I think I can make an impact there,” Griffith concluded. “I’m looking forward to the culture with all the baseball guys and think it’s going to be a good time.”