Arguably one of the toolsiest prospects in the Midwest, OF Trevor Vande Hey (Wrightstown, 2025; Iowa commit) was a major winner across winter and summer circuits. His illustrious year started at the Green Bay Preseason ID, where the strong 6-foot, 195-pound athlete put together a loud performance in all facets. He started by running a 6.76 in the 60-yard dash and also put up the top outfield velocity of the event at 91 mph on his hardest bullet home. While this was impressive, his round of BP stole the show, as he reached a 103.1 mph exit velocity from his aggressive right-handed bat. Without a doubt, his best performance in front of our staff came on the summer’s biggest stage, the 2023 Prep Baseball Future Games. During the event's workout day, Vande Hey certainly turned many of the 300+ college coaches' heads as he marked a 60-yard dash of 6.57 and took one of Team Wisconsin’s loudest rounds, too. His week did not stop there though, as he was a consistent threat with the bat during the live gameplay, highlighted by a massive home run in the final game of the week. After all of these impressive performances across last year, Vande Hey moved around the top of our Class of 2025 Rankings board, and is currently slotted at No. 2 while also being inside of our national rankings, too. Following his Future Games performance, Vande Hey announced his verbal commitment to Iowa, where he joins a couple other Badger State products.

(Prep Baseball Future Games; 7/26/23)

Vande Hey recently took us through how his recruitment process unfolded and many other baseball related topics.

OUR Q&A

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Vande Hey: I was looking for a college who really wanted to make me better and see me succeed there. I also wanted to go to a college that felt like home and treated me like family.

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

V: The distance played a big factor and was actually the deciding factor. I wanted my family to be able to come and watch me play more than once in a while.

P: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Where did the school you committed to first see you play?

V: The recruiting process really started to heat up at the beginning of my sophomore year. The first time Iowa saw me play was at the Future Games during the showcase part when we were hitting.

P: What do you like most about the program you chose, and what were the key factors in making your decision?

V: The part I love about Iowa is that they really try to develop you to be a better all-around player. The key factors were definitely the development part. I've heard amazing things about the program and I loved how they really want to get to know you and become family. Also, the distance is also perfect for me, not too far from home where I can still go visit when I want to.

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

V: Clemson, Penn state, and Michigan State

P: Who is the best player you have faced in your state? What about them makes for a tough opponent?

V: Definitely would have to be RHP Avery Duncan (Notre Dame Academy, 2024; Dallas Baptist commit). He was a really tough opponent because he has a very strong fastball and his off speed is super dirty. He is also really good at hitting his spots in the zone.

P: 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?

V: I realized it freshman year when I was hitting and I was told that my numbers were not normal for a kid my age. I always got told you could play in college but it took me until then to find out that I really could.

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

V: Grind every single day, if it’s in the weight room or taking swings, take everything seriously. It shows in the long run.

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

V: The most memorable moment would definitely be during the summer when we were at Lake Point in Georgia playing at 10pm and the game, in the final inning, came down to the last pitch.

P: Preview your high school team's season for us. How do you feel your team will be?

V: I believe that our high school team will be pretty good this year. We have a lot of pitching depth and we have some really solid athletes on the team.

P: How did the Future Games affect your recruitment process? Did you receive more attention following the event?

V: The Future Games really helped a lot. I received a lot more attention from colleges after that.

P: Who is the next talented young player to keep an eye on out of your high school or travel program?

V: I say RHP/OF Matthew Hietpas (Appleton North, 2026), he has been grinding in the weight room and has been putting up a lot of crazy numbers. He's just an amazing all-round player.

P: Did Prep Baseball assist in your recruiting? Whether it be through a showcase, tournament coverage, tweets, etc? If yes, please explain.

V: Prep Baseball really helped with my recruiting from the showcases, to them posting me on their twitter page. There were a lot of very important parts they did that really helped me get noticed.

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