Chase Batten will be one of the top pitchers to come out of the Class of 2024. Foster’s 6-foot, 160-pound sophomore lefthander is opening a lot of eyes this season.
So much so that Batten didn’t take long to find his college home.
Last Friday, Batten verbally committed to Arizona State. In the Sun Devils, Batten is getting a program that has been true since day one.
“They were there from the beginning of the recruiting process and have stuck with me through all of it,” he said.
In Batten, the Sun Devils are getting one of the premier young talents in Texas high school baseball.
Batten is 7-0 so far this season with a 0.17 ERA. He has 71 strikeouts to 15 walks and surrendered one earned run and 11 hits over 42 1/3 innings.
Hitters have an average of .077 against him. Batten has a devastating curveball, throws his fastball 84-85 miles per hour on average, and introduced a two-seam fastball this season.
Batten’s recruiting will only get more intense. But for now, he has all that he needs to see in Arizona State.
“I knew that Arizona State was an amazing place to be at and didn’t want to pass up this opportunity,” he said.
Batten spoke more with VYPE.
VYPE: How would you describe the recruiting process? What was the best and most difficult thing about it?
BATTEN: The recruiting process was a bunch of fun. I took my time and just found the right school for me. The most difficult part was telling the other schools about it.
VYPE: As this season has gone on, how have you gotten better as a pitcher?
BATTEN: Definitely staying ahead in the counts and having confidence threw the whole game, pitch one through the last pitch.
VYPE: You are respected by your coaches for your confidence and composure on the mound. You never get rattled. Where do you think that comes from?
BATTEN: I think it comes from my past. Having a bad game or just a bad day, I learned from it and have worked on it. I have always just thought “that pitch is over, just throw the next one.”
VYPE: Now that you’re committed, what’s next for you? What are some things you want to accomplish and improve upon before getting to Arizona State?
BATTEN: I would like to play for Team USA and possibly get drafted out of high school.