While other Goodrich students may be spending this winter at home, senior Ty Purdy will be working on his baseball skills in Florida and Puerto Rico.
Purdy, a member of the Martians? varsity baseball team, is scheduled to travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico Feb. 5-11 as a member of the Coast to Coast elite baseball team. During that trip, he and his teammates will play several games against Puerto Rican competition.
Before then, Purdy will be traveling to Jupiter, Fla. from Dec. 27-31 as part of the Coast to Coast Baseball Showcase. He also said the team may compete in Australia, Japan and Hawaii after their trip to Puerto Rico, although nothing has been finalized yet.
Goodrich varsity baseball coach Bob Foreback said Purdy did the bulk of the research into the Coast to Coast program.
‘I had very little input into Ty’s decision ? he researched it and did it on his own,? Foreback said. ‘Ty deserves all the credit.?
Kevin Ritter, president of Coast to Coast, said the program, in its seventh year, has taken about 1,200 college prospects from 46 different states on their various tours.
Ritter said several players from the Coast to Coast program have moved on to play college or professional baseball. One such example is Bryan Anderson, a fourth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2005 amateur draft.
Purdy tried out for the Coast to Coast team during a tryout at Michigan State University in August. Kevin Ritter, president of Coast to Coast Athletics, said there were between 30-40 kids at the tryout.
Coast to Coast evaluates prospects in four areas, Ritter said: hitting, fielding, arm strength and speed. He said of those four areas, Purdy rated highest in the hitting department.
‘He has very quick hands, he’s very strong, and he hits for power,? Ritter said, quoting Purdy’s scouting report taken at the tryout. ‘He also runs well for playing catcher.?
Ritter said the organization sees between 2,000-2,500 players at a series of nationwide tryouts each year. From those tryouts, as well as evaluations of players unable to attend a tryout event, Coast to Coast fills approximately 300 roster spots, comprising 20-25 teams of various age groups. Ritter said they conduct other Michigan-area tryouts at Central Michigan University and Western Michigan University, as well as a couple indoor facilities.
As far as the trips to Florida and Puerto Rico are concerned, Ritter said the emphasis for each trip is different.
‘The real focus in Florida is to get the kids exposure playing before college coaches and pro scouts,? he said. ‘In Puerto Rico, they (the Coast to Coast players) are getting ready for their upcoming high school seasons. They’re going to get real game experience against kids that play 12 months a year.?
In order to maintain his amateur status, Purdy is raising his share of the team’s cost. Interested sponsors may contact him either by mail (7104 Jordan Road, Grand Blanc, MI 48439) or by telephone at (810) 694-6368.