Prep Baseball Report

Q&A with Dartmouth commit Max Hunter (Clayton, 2017)



Shon Plack
Missouri Scouting Director

Max Hunter (Clayton, 2017) is a 5-foot-10 180-pound left-handed pitcher and has chosen to play college at Dartmouth University. 

Hunter is a strike thrower with a three-pitch mix.  He has a conventional delivery with fast arm speed, throwing slightly across body.  He works his fastball at 81-83 mph, and breaking pitch was 1-to-7 in shape at 60-63 mph, near fastball arm speed.  His change-up was 70 mph, with fastball arm speed.  He has smooth rhythm and works both sides of the plate with all three pitches.

The southpaw was masterful at the Future Games in August 2015, striking out the side against Illinois and not allowing a hit in two innings. Hunter worked at 81-84 mph with his fastball and kept Illinois hitters off balance with a 64-65 mph change-up.

Here is the look inside the recruitment of Max Hunter.

 

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? Was it as expected? Easy/Difficult?

Hunter: I didn’t really know what to expect at first, but after the first few phone calls talking to the coaches got easier.

PBR: Did location or distance from home play a factor in your decision?

Hunter: No I was ok with going pretty much anywhere in the country.

PBR: Where did Dartmouth first see you? How did your relationship develop with them?

Hunter: They saw me pitch at a tournament in Cincinnati.  I got a text from the assistant coach that they were interested in me. They asked where I was pitching next because they wanted to see me throw again. I talked on the phone multiple times with Coach Anderson the assistant coach and eventually he had me talk to coach Whalen who came and watched me pitch in Atlanta.

PBR: Who is the best player you have faced in your state, and why?

Hunter: Mike Wielansky who played for Ladue high school. He was always a tough out because he wouldn’t chase and squared almost everything up.

PBR: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

Hunter: Have a program in the offseason as well as during the season so you can continue to get better and make sure you have somebody that you can trust to help you with the process.

PBR: What do you do in the offseason to keep yourself in baseball shape and prepare for the upcoming season?

Hunter: I work out at P3 with Brian DeLunas to speed up my arm work on efficient throwing patterns and with Josh Kesel to maintain and expand mobility and to increase strength.

PBR: What is the most memorable moment in your baseball career to this point?

Hunter: Pitching in the Future games was a cool experience. You are playing with and against some of the best talent around and for me it was one of the biggest stages to be seen by college scouts.

PBR: What do you like most about Dartmouth and what were the key factors in making your decision?

Hunter: The coaching staff and their focus on developing players to get to the next level along with the great academic opportunity made the school a good fit.

PBR: What other schools were on your short list before you made your final decision?

Hunter: West Virginia, VCU, Eastern Illinois, Penn, Brown

PBR: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Was there a particular game or event that you feel turned the corner for you?

Hunter: The summer after my sophomore year was when the recruiting process started heating up. After the Perfect Game tournament in Atlanta  I was seen by a lot of scouts and more emails and calls were coming in.

PBR: Preview your high school season for us. How do you feel your team will be? What are your expectations and goals?

Hunter: We had a lot of seniors graduate last year so there are opportunities for guys to step up this year. I think we can make a run at a district championship and go from there but we are going to have to work hard before and during the season to get to that point.  

PBR: Where do you play in the summer? And what has been your most memorable experience with them?

Hunter: I play with The St. Louis Pirates over the summer. The best memories with the Pirates is going down to Atlanta for the WWBA every year and going head to head against some of the best players in the country in front of tons of college scouts.

 

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