PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - An “unpredictable” recruiting process has a happy ending for John Mass. The Portsmouth High School sophomore will be going to Boston College with an opportunity at being a two-way player.

“The campus felt like home to me,” the third-rated 2024 shortstop in New England explained about BC, which is located an hour and 20 minutes from his home in Rhode Island. “I really like the coaching staff and I like that it’s close to home which my parents care about.

“They play against the best of the best and I’ll get to travel down south,” Mass continued. “It will make me better. The culture in the program is what I was looking for. They bring a lot of energy and it just felt like home to me.”

Interest from Boston College actually began the summer of eighth-grade year but then there was a coaching change at the Atlantic Coast Conference school.

“They stopped talking to me when the new staff came in, but started talking to me again this summer,’ Mass related. “They saw me at the Boston Open tournament, in the legion regionals at Holy Cross and with my high school team.

“They like that I can play every position on the field,” Mass went on about BC. “They like the energy I bring, the person I am and my versatility. Outfield, pitch, infield, wherever, I can play it.”

The chance to pitch as well as play in the field proved important in making a commitment to Boston College.

“Two of the coaches like me better as a pitcher and two of the coaches more as a position player,” Mass noted. “They said it’s too early to tell, but they will give me a shot at infield and on the mound to start.

“I wanted a school that would give me an opportunity as a two-way,” Mass added. “I really like pitching and hitting. If I had to pick right now it would be hitting, but I’m still growing and filling out. If I get to throwing 95 I’m gonna pitch, but I love the idea of being two-way.”

Rutgers, Northeastern, Purdue and UAB are others that were high on the list of the 14th-ranked sophomore in New England, who admitted recruitment was “pretty stressful” in his eyes.

“I liked talking to colleges and getting my name out there,” Mass said. “But you don’t know what they think of you. Maybe you wouldn’t talk for three months or you’d talk one or two times and then not hear back. That’s stressful. It’s kind of unpredictable. Some start calling you that you don’t expect and some are talking to you weekly and then stop calling you.”

PBR proved a major aid along the way according to fourth-rated 2024 from Rhode Island.

“It really helped to get my numbers out there,” Mass explained. “It’s getting more about analytics and when PBR posted them and started shouting out to coaches that really helped. I always attached my profile to my instagram and that helped me for sure.”

The dream remains pro baseball for the 5-11 176-pound left-handed hitter, but college is the stepping stone according to the recently-turned 16-year-old.

“I realized the reality of it all around seventh grade,” Mass said about his future. “I was always a multi-sport guy and was going to play basketball and baseball but realized baseball was better for my future and I started to fall in love with it more.”

It became more realistic after that.

“When I got my first phone calls, which were with BC and Northeastern, and when I got on the PBR rankings my freshman year, is when it happened. When I saw my name I thought, I’m pretty good, now I just need to work and this dream will become a reality.”

Parents, friends, high school coach Matt McGuire, Cody Ortega with 365 Sports and PBR are credited by Mass with helping - be it with resources, development, recruitment or connections - in making college baseball happen.

“I found myself a home for the next four years,” pointed out Mass, a 3.3 student looking to major in either business or finance. “It’s a great feeling to know I’m one step closer to the dream of being an MLB All-Star coming true.

“This is a big opportunity for me,” Mass concluded. “These Power 5 schools don’t usually give you a lot of time to decide, it’s a take it or leave it type of thing. That’s what I liked about BC. They don’t over recruit. You accept, and they’re all over you as a player. I took it as an honor to be offered by BC. It’s a dream come true.”