Q&A with William & Mary Commit Jason Waldman

October 7, 2014

By Sammy Serrano
Director of Scouting

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with William & Mary commit Jason Waldman. The 6-foot-2, 190 pound, RHP, from Fairfax HS looks to have a huge year on the mound and help propel his squad to a 6A North Regional Championship.

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

Waldman: I didn't really have that many expectations going into the process. To be honest, I really had no clue exactly what to expect. My goal was to just keep playing hard and try to get better every opportunity I could.

PBR: What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Waldman: I was looking for a coaching staff that is dedicated to winning and developing their players not only as baseball players, but also as teaching them how to be a well rounded individual, and I think that Coach Murphy and the rest of the staff at W&M do a great job of doing both of those things.

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

Waldman: It played a big role. W&M is the perfect distance from home for me. It is close enough for my parents to come and watch me play, but also far enough so I am getting the real college experience.

PBR: Where did the college you chose first see you? How did your relationship develop with them?

Waldman: W&M actually first saw me play at the Diamond Skills All American camp in the winter of my sophomore year. They reached out to me several months later in July, and that is when talks with them got to be a lot more serious.

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

Waldman: There are so many things that I like about W&M. It is a great mix of an incredible academic school along with a baseball program that made it to the regional finals in 2013 and were CAA regular season champs in 2014. The coaches got me really pumped up about everything that goes on down in Williamsburg. It would have been nearly impossible to turn down a school and baseball program like W&M.

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

Waldman: Old Dominion also made me an offer along with William and Mary. Coach Finwood and Nonemaker over at ODU were outstanding, and it was incredibly hard to turn that offer down, but of course I am extremely happy with my decision to continue my career at W&M.

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

Waldman: I would have to say the best player from VA I have faced would be JB Bukauskas. It wasn't just his 100 MPH fastball that made him difficult to hit off of: his command with all of his pitches made it a very tough, but fun battle whenever I faced him.

PBR: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

Waldman: I always have had the dream of playing in college, but I realized that it was a true possibility when I looked around at players who were committed to play in college and noticed that I was just as good as those players.

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

Waldman: One piece of advice I would pass on is to never be satisfied with where you are at as a player. Always strive to get better even when others aren't watching.

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

Waldman: The most memorable moment in my baseball career would be the time when I turned an unassisted triple play when I was 6. I had no clue what I had just done as I was running off the field, but I assumed it was a good thing since everyone was cheering!

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

Waldman: Fairfax High School has a great chance to do a lot of damage this year. We have a ton of returning players with a good amount of varsity experience. We have a very deep pitching staff with myself, Christian Leckert, a JMU commit, Sam Ryan, a VCU commit, and a handful of other very solid pitchers. Our goal is to win a Regional Championship, and I really think that we have the pieces of the puzzle to do that.

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

Waldman: I played my summer baseball for Stars Baseball. My favorite memory of playing with the Stars is going down to East Cobb and spending a week just playing baseball in the beautiful weather. There is nothing like going out every day and getting to play ball!

Q&A with William & Mary Commit Jason Waldman

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