Baseball recruiting update: Notre Dame star LaViolette commits to Ohio; Hurd, Casper also will continue careers
GREEN BAY – Brady LaViolette had the biggest seven days of his high school athletic career last week.
The Green Bay Notre Dame senior announced his commitment to play baseball at NCAA Division I Ohio University, before helping the Tritons’ football team in a 42-14 win over Menasha on Friday in a Fox River Classic-South showdown that all but clinched the program’s first conference title in 15 years.
“It was pretty surreal,” LaViolette said. “My childhood dream came true playing college athletics. And then as our senior class called it, our biggest game of our high school careers up to this point (for football). Beating them by that much was pretty undescribable. I couldn’t even find words.”
It only was a matter of where, not if, LaViolette would earn a scholarship to play college baseball.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound catcher is one of the best players in the area. He was a first-team all-conference selection this season for a Notre Dame team that went 17-11 and reached a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal before losing to eventual state champion Denmark.
LaViolette’s name was all over the leaderboard in FRCC play.
He was first in RBI (24), tied for second in triples (2), third in home runs (3), tied for seventh in walks (13) and was eighth in batting average (.388).
LaViolette also played travel ball this summer for a GRB Rays 17U Green team considered one of the 50 best in the country, which only helped his recruitment.
He always hoped to play at the DI level, and it became even more realistic for him when he arrived in high school and started playing both with the Tritons and GRB with other future college talent.
“I have got really good people on my side, with my family and (former Marinette standout and professional player) Greg Reinhard down at GRB,” LaViolette said. “There is always that, ‘I have got to figure this out, I have to commit soon.’ There is always a little bit of that in your gut.”
LaViolette visited Ohio University last month and received an offer from the team after the visit. He had other schools interested, but Ohio had everything he was looking for in a baseball program and academically.
“If I was just a normal student there, I would love to go there,” LaViolette said. “The campus is beautiful. Athens, Ohio, is a small town, a college town. Amazing.
“I love the coaching staff. Young guys. They are turning the program around. They are top of the MAC. They are going to develop me well. Overall, it was just a really good fit for me.”
The Bobcats went 19-30 last season under third-year coach Craig Moore, including 15-15 in the Mid-American Conference. They have had two winning seasons in Moore’s first three years.
LaViolette plans to continue catching in college, but he’d be fine playing another position if it’s what the team feels is best.
He loves being a backstop and how engaged it requires him to be on every play. He also enjoys being a leader.
LaViolette still has business to take care of in his final season in football as a fullback and linebacker, but any stress from the recruiting process is over and should make both the fall and spring even more enjoyable for him.
“It’s like a weight was lifted off your shoulders,” LaViolette said. “I would always talk to my teammates on GRB and high school, like how did it feel after you committed? They are like, ‘You can play freely.’
“That’s exactly what I felt like. I can just play freely and not have to worry about impressing everybody or what school is going to like me today. You can just go play, have fun and not worry about any of that stuff.”
Hurd to sign with Creighton
Ashwaubenon standout Eason Hurd has been a teammate of LaViolette on GRB. He committed months before last season to play at DI Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska, before putting together another big year for the Jaguars.
Hurd hit .333 with three home runs and 19 RBI in league play, adding two doubles and three triples. The right-hander also served as the team’s top pitcher, going 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA while striking out 39 batters in 34⅓ innings.
Hurd was a first-team all-conference selection as a pitcher and a second-team pick as an infielder.
Creighton went 25-24 this season and finished fifth in the Big East.
“Eason Hurd is an outstanding leader of our baseball team,” Ashwaubenon coach Jason Hill said. “He is always willing to go the extra step to make everyone around him better, and yet still finds the drive and motivation to make himself the best possible player he can be.
“He is an exceptional teammate and a great role model for our younger players and for our youth program in Ashwaubenon.”
Bay Port's Casper commits
Make it 3-for-3 for players from GRB.
Bay Port senior Cal Casper recently committed to Winona State, becoming the second local baseball player to commit to the DII school in Minnesota the past month. De Pere standout Easton Arendt announced his commitment in September.
The 5-9, 185-pound catcher is a top-notch defender and was a second-team all-conference selection in the FRCC as a junior.
Casper hit .357 and added one home run, 13 RBI, seven doubles and eight stolen bases in league play.
He has been a starter for Bay Port since his sophomore season as an infielder and catcher.
He has been an all-state and all-district player his first two years and likely will be the full-time catcher for the Pirates after the graduation of Grant Gill.
Casper should help Winona, which went 23-29 this season.
“He has all the tools and can play anywhere,” Bay Port coach Harvey Knutson said. “Great leader and teammate. … We are looking for big things from him this year. He is one of the top players in this conference. He works very hard all year round on his game and plays great competition with his club schedule.
“We are really excited to see what he will do to help this team compete this season and are very proud of his commitment to Winona and excited to see what he will do at the next level.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Notre Dame baseball's LaViolette commits to Ohio University
