Former Peabody Little League star verbally commits to B.C. for 2015

Peabody native Austin Batchelor, a star pitcher on the Peabody West Little League team that made it to the World Series in 2009, is taking his playing career to new heights. Or, more precisely, to The Heights.Batchelor, currently a sophomore honor roll student at Malden Catholic, has verbally committed to enrolling at Boston College for the fall of 2015.The right-hander has been a stalwart pitcher for the New England Firebirds, a premier travel team in the area, since he was 10 years old. Rich Gilbride, head coach of the Firebirds, has formed an incredibly strong bond with Batchelor and spoke of his decision to commit early.”I’ve been coaching him for around five years now and it’s amazing to see how far he has come as a person and a player,” explained Gilbride. “Since the World Series, Austin has grown not just physically, but mentally as he has stayed focused and shown a lot of dedication to becoming a better ballplayer.”Currently about 6-3, Batchelor found his fastball consistently hitting between 86-88 mph this past summer and hit 90 in a Lynn Invitational game. This, according to Gilbride, is what sent the scouts flocking to watch Batchelor pitch.”Any time a sophomore hits 90 mph, the scouts are bound to show up,” explained Gilbride. “Mike Gambino, the head coach at Boston College, is one of the best around and really got the inside track on Austin.”According to Gilbride, Batchelor and his family recently visited the BC campus and came away very impressed. This comes as no shock, especially once considering Batchelor’s mother attended BC herself.Still two years away from college, a lot could change for Batchelor, a fact Gilbride seemed compelled to point out.”As of now, he is extremely committed to Boston College, but let’s not forget he could be a nationally scouted player,” said Gilbride. “He’s a great pitcher, but I also think he has the potential to be a Division I catcher as well.”Ironically enough, MC didn’t once throw Batchelor on the mound and will do the same again this season, according to Gilbride.”Austin’s fine with it, he still wants to catch and he gets to do that at Malden Catholic,” Gilbride said.While it appears his catching days are limited, one thing remains for certain. Batchelor will continue on with his baseball career in college, and there seems to be no limit on the potential that he possesses.