LOVELAND - “I’m somebody who loves structure.”

Griffin Booth has found that and more at the Air Force Academy.

 “It’s something bigger than just baseball, it’s a chance to fight for your country,” the Moeller sophomore said about the opportunity to be a student and baseball player at the Mountain West Conference university in Colorado Springs.

It was this past summer when Booth made the decision he wanted to go to a military academy.

“I went to a camp at Air Force in August and after that had calls with the recruiting coordinator every other week,” Booth reflected. “I was invited to a catching camp on Dec. 2 and they called me on the Monday after and offered. I committed the next night.”

The 15-year-old loved what took place while at the Academy.

“I liked the structure of the camp and the way you interacted with the coaches,” Booth explained. “I was able to have good conversations with all of them. Another thing I liked was the campus in general and where the baseball field sits in relation to the locker room.”

The similarities with his high school is another plus in the eyes of the Moeller High School 10th grader.

“I go to an all-boys school and it’s a competitive environment,” Booth noted. “With the Academy you’re surrounded by leaders and people that want to make big changes. That’s something I like.”

There is an understanding that going to the Air Force will certainly be demanding.

“The academics are just a step down from the Ivy League, so it will be a grind,” Booth said. “I pride myself on being a good student and that’s something I see as being challenging there. I have to start preparing now for all the physical challenges I will face.”

The Air Force found a lot to like in the 5-10 165-pound catcher.

“When the recruiting coordinator talked to me he said he liked my demeanor,” Booth explained. “When walking into the camp I remember him saying when we had calls I called at the exact minute. Just being punctual they really liked that.”

There was more that stood out.

“The biggest thing they pride themselves on is a good receiving catcher,” Booth pointed out. “That is something I have prided myself on since I was younger.”

The idea of playing baseball at the next level has existed for some time.

“I’ve always known it,” Booth reflected. “My dad played college baseball (Thomas More) and also coached at the Division I level (Virginia Military). I’ve known since 10U that I wanted to play college baseball. As I’ve gotten older I realized the Air Force is something I’d be interested in and I gravitated to. It checked all the boxes with baseball, academics and the service part of it.”

His father had a major influence in that.

“My dad said his experiences at VMI were incredible,” Booth related. “That was a big part of my interest.”

There were influences along the way in the journey to Air Force.

“My dad has been my biggest leader since I was a little kid, but besides him my summer baseball coach, Trey Cobb, was big in setting up all the calls with the Air Force coach and initially reaching out to him before I went to my first camp,” Booth noted. “Without him I wouldn’t have been on the map with them.”

Booth also credited PBR with playing a role.

“They gave me a baseline on how I stack up with other great catchers in the state,” Booth said of PBR. “Speed isn’t one of my strong suits, but I figured out I had a decent arm. I’m a little smaller than most, but I made up for it with a strong arm.”

Admittedly, Booth was surprised to have his college decision made this early.

“It was in my dream that it would happen but I wasn’t expecting in my sophomore year of high school,” Booth said. “It doesn’t seem real. To make it at 15, now I know what I’m going to do for the next nine years of my life. My parents are excited for me. It’s going to be an awesome experience.”

A 3.85 student at Moeller, plans are to major “likely in something with IT” according to Booth.

“I’m really looking forward to the college environment there,” Booth concluded. “It’s different from other schools with the structure they have.”

But that is something that Booth cherishes.