Division 1 Baseball At Canisius A Reality For Foley

GRAND RAPIDS - The recruiting process was more than just baseball for Connor Foley. It had a little history and geography lesson in it.

“I had never heard of the school,” the Forest Hills Northern senior said of Canisius, which contacted Foley after a PBR event back in June.  “I had to look it up after they texted me. I saw it was in Buffalo and I’d never been there.”

The 12th-rated 2022 left-handed pitcher in Michigan will see plenty of Canisius in the future after a commitment to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school.

“A couple days after the PBR State Games in Pennsylvania they sent me a text about who they are and let me know about the program,” Foley related. “A week later I had a phone call with an assistant coach. At the beginning of July I visited there with my dad and met the coaching staff. We talked about what they had to offer with playing time and financial stuff. I liked the offer and took it right away. This past month I went there to check everything out.”

The coaching staff and campus were to the liking of the 17-year-old southpaw, who had previously had the most interest from smaller division colleges.

“To be honest, last summer I was shooting more for D-II schools, but then when I got a text from a D-I I’m like, is this happening?” Foley reflected. “I didn’t know if it would fall through, but I’m really excited about it.”

Foley began reaching out to coaches at the next level when he was a sophomore..

“Junior year is when I started getting texts from coaches to come on a visit or set up phone calls,” Foley noted. “I wasn’t really aiming for D-I, I was thinking D-II or D-III.”

The 101st-ranked senior in the state pointed to travel coach Kevin Moyzan as a major help.

“I’ve been playing with him since I was 13 or 14,” Foley said. “He put me in the right position to get noticed.”

Sport management is the planned major for Foley, a 3.0 student who impressed Canisius when seen at the Pa. State Games for 2022 graduates.

“They like the way I use my offspeed,” Foley noted. “They also like the way I mix in my fastball and my tempo on the mound. In their conference high-80s left-handed pitchers are successful.”

The 5-9 205-pounder is confident about being a major asset to the program at Canisius.

“On the field I’m hoping to come out of the bullpen and pitch to the best of my ability,” Foley said. “Off the field I want to be the best teammate I can be and fit in with the guys.”

That is just part of what Foley is looking forward to at a university 51/2 hours from home (when Canada is open, 71/2 hours if not).

“I can’t wait to face the competition in D-I,” Foley related. “The work ethic you have to put in when nobody’s watching will be important.”

To make a commitment to play Division I college baseball is as good as it gets according to Foley, who was the seventh-rated uncommitted 2022 left-handed pitcher in Michigan prior to his decision to make Canisius his college home.

“It was one of the most exciting moments of my life,” Foley said. “I couldn’t stop smiling. I was in Pennsylvania staying with my grandparents and on the phone with my parents telling them. It was awesome. What a great moment.”