Westhampton Beach - All at once, Mark Podlas was relieved and weirded out. He's spent the last bunch of summers working toward the day that he'd decide on a college destination, and that day came late last month. The Hurricanes' senior center fielder, who hit .484 with five home runs and 24 RBI as a junior last spring, verbally committed to play baseball at the University of Virginia beginning in the 2010-11 season.
He chose the Charlottesville, VA, program and campus over other options that included Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Kansas.
"It feels great," Podlas said. "UVa just treats its athletes really well. They have a great academic support team, an athletes cafeteria, everything is first-class. It's a great school and the campus is awesome. It's a great town and it has great sports."
According to Perfect Game USA, the top baseball scouting site, Podlas is ranked as the 225th best player in the Class of 2010. He ranks as the sixth-best high school senior in New York State behind only Suffern RHP Robert Aviles (19), New York City IF Mike Antonio (57), Rochester OF Chris Culver (92), Half Hollow Hills West RHP T.J. Pecoraro (125) and Crestwood RHP Mike Bradshaw (220). Podlas helped his cause with a busy summer that included the high-profile Area Code Games in California.
Hurricanes head coach Terry Moran said that Podlas' commitment is not only a major coup for the individual but also should have a ripple effect in the community.
"It's great not only for him but for the baseball program and the school," Moran said. "We never realized how good he was until he was put up against the best in the country. He held his own and really excelled. I'm so proud of him. He's been working hard since eighth grade and now he can come in and not worry about where he's going to go his senior year."
Podlas had maintained contact with Cavaliers assistant head coach Kevin McMullan over the summer and received a tour of the school and met head coach Brian O'Connor during an unofficial visit. He committed to Virginia in late August but won't sign a National Letter Of Intent until November. In the meantime, Podlas will attend the World Wood Bat Association World Championships at the Roger Dean Complex in Jupiter, FL, from October 22-26, and then make an official visit the weekend of Oct. 31 to meet his future teammates.
With the talent coming in, coaches did not assure that Podlas would be guaranteed any spot in the order or in the field. The competition, however, is part of why he chose to join the Cavs. Virginia won a school-record 49 games this past spring, won the ACC Championships, and reached its first-ever College World Series. The program has produced such pros as third basemen Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) and Mark Reynolds (Diamondbacks). This year, they brought in the 10th ranked recruiting class in the country according to Perfect Game.
"I like to have a challenge," Podlas said. "I like to have pressure put on you. It's nice to have. It's something to look forward to instead of just showing up and playing. You have to work to play."
Whether Podlas ends up in Charlottesville or somewhere else completely will be determined by his senior year at Westhampton, his last performance before the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Per Moran, it's been estimated that Podlas will be drafted in the first 10 rounds and, according to one college coach, as early as round three. Podlas wouldn't commit to a round or signing bonus for which he'd go pro but did say "I honestly don't know where I stand in [the draft]. I'm really thinking about most likely going to school."
