by DAVE FACINOLI

Staff Writer

It was at the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars in Joplin, Mo., this June when life changed a bit for Jimmy Saris.

BASEBALL

Prior to that competition, Saris was already a talented right-handed pitcher, and with a 90-mph fastball he was beginning to gain notoriety. Then, after a three-inning relief performance when Saris fanned eight of the nine batters he faced and his fastball touched 92, the pitcher was firmly on the map. That’s because there were numerous baseball scouts at the tournament watching the players, and many of them were suddenly much more interested in the rising Langley High School senior.

A few days after the tournament, the scouts and college recruiters began calling. All told, Saris was contacted by some 30 scouts and recruiters in a short period. Last week he put an end to his recruiting process when Saris verbally committed to attend Duke University on a baseball scholarship.

“The whole process snuck up on me,” Saris said. “Things changed after that trip to Joplin.”

Saris quickly narrowed his final three selections to Duke, Notre Dame and the University of Virginia, which is an Atlantic Coast Conference rival of Duke’s.

“The decision was tough, but I enjoyed the whole process with Duke,” Saris said. “I’ve always wanted to pitch in the ACC and play in the south, so the situation worked out best at Duke. Now my senior year I can relax, and there will not be a decision that’s looming.”

At Duke, Saris will major in business and pre-law. As a junior at Langley, Saris compiled a 3.50 grade point average.

On the baseball field, the college scouts were obviously impressed with Saris’ fastball, but they also liked his slider, control and competitive edge.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Saris, who turned 17 on Aug. 22, compiled a 4-5 record and had three saves for Langley this past spring. He also was the Northern Region’s regular-season strikeout king with 86 Ks in 59 innings. He hit .317 with two homers.

Saris gained notoriety in his first start for Langley last spring. In that game he tossed a two-hitter and struck out 12 in the Saxons’ 2-1 road win against perennial region power Madison.

With the Northern Virginia Barnstormers this summer Saris was 4-2. In 36 innings, he struck out 42 and had a 1.35 earned run average.

Saris also participated in the Commonwealth Games this summer. He made one five-inning relief appearance for his Northern Virginia team and was the winning pitcher.

In other news regarding Langley baseball, pitcher/infielder Russell Blankinship will play college ball at Division 3 Gettysburg. Blankinship was Langley’s winningest pitcher this past spring. He compiled a 6-1 record and a 1.91 earned run average in 44 innings of work. He struck out 44 and walked eight. With the bat, Blankinship hit .328 with 13 RBI, a home run, and four doubles.