Jul 27, 2020 4 min read

Tyler Switalski’s high school pitching numbers don’t jump out at you. If you counted on one hand the number of games Switalski has started on the mound for Waynesburg in the last two years, then you would have several digits left unused.

What stands out about Switalski, who will be entering his senior year in the fall, are not wins and losses, but rather the numbers on the radar gun. They are numbers you don’t typically see from high school pitchers, especially lefthanders.

“My fastball has hit 90 mph,” Switalski said. “That was back in February, then again last month. Last week, it was sitting at 87, 88 mph.”

Combine those numbers along with Switalski’s size – he’s 6-4 and 200 pounds – and you can see why he has been attracting attention from Division I coaches. Switalski ended what has been a rapid recruiting process Saturday when he committed to Gardner-Webb University. Switalski announced his decision on Twitter.

Gardner-Webb, located in Boiling Springs, N.C., is a member of the Big South Conference. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were 8-8 this spring before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season.

“Gardner-Webb didn’t see me pitch until two months ago, at a showcase in DuBois,” Switalski pointed out. “They contact me a month after that. I went there for a visit. I loved the campus, loved the field. They also have my major (business). I thought it was a good fit for me.”

Switalski said he had received offers from Division I programs South Carolina-Upstate and Marist, and was being recruiting by Coastal Carolina and Kentucky, but had not yet received offers from those schools.

Gardner-Webb’s coaching staff has ties to Western Pennsylvania. Head coach Jim Chester played at Thiel in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and has coached at Penn State Greater Allegheny and Seton Hill. Assistant coach Anthony Marks played high school ball for Montour and was a member of Coastal Carolina’s national championship team in 2016.

“There are a bunch of Pittsburgh guys on the coaching staff at Gardner-Webb and they are very respected around here,” Switalski said. “Plus, the school is down south, where I can get more games in during the college season because of the weather.

“I wanted to go to a Division I program. I’m from a smaller town so I wanted to go someplace bigger where I can get my name out there. I can push myself at the Division I level.”

Because of his size and fastball, Switalski’s future is likely as a pitcher, but Gardner-Webb indicated they will give him a shot as a two-way player. He was Waynesburg’s first baseman as a sophomore in 2018 when the Raiders advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. He batted .364 as Waynesburg’s No. 3 hitter that season and struck out only four times in 66 plate appearances.

Because of an injury, Switalski pitched in only one game as a sophomore, the final regular-season contest.

“I had a shoulder injury to my growth plate,” Switalski explained.

This spring, Switalski was to combine with Luke Robinson to give Waynesburg one of the best 1-2 pitching combinations in the WPIAL, regardless of classification, but the season never got started.

“As a sophomore, and coming off an injury, Tyler was one of our best hitters,” Waynesburg coach Jamie Moore said. “He’s a great kid. He has always been one of our hardest workers and a team player.

“He has everything you look for in a pitcher. He has the size. He has the arm strength and can hit 90 mph with his fastball.”

Coincidentally, Switalski is not the only pitcher Gardner-Webb will be getting from Waynesburg. Mason Miller, who played at Waynesburg University and was the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2019 when he went 8-2 with a 1.86 ERA, will be a graduate transfer for Gardner-Webb next season.

“I’ve heard of (Miller),” Switalski said. “I know Gardner-Webb is excited about him, too.”