High school baseball: Cary-Grove sophomore pitcher Quinn Priester commits to TCU

The College World Series is on Quinn Priester’s list of goals.

The Cary-Grove sophomore right-handed pitcher put himself in a good position to someday reach Omaha when he committed to play college baseball at TCU on Monday. The Horned Frogs have reached college baseball’s biggest stage each of the past three seasons and four times since 2010.

“The chance to compete in Omaha is a goal of mine, and I feel like TCU really gives me a chance to do that,” Priester said.

Priester announced his commitment on Twitter after visiting the Fort Worth, Texas, campus over the weekend. TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle is in his 14th season in charge and has the Horned Frogs at 30-8 this year, ranked No. 5 in the country.

Priester chose TCU over offers from Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern and Notre Dame.

“I really love the relationship I have with the coaches,” Priester said. “Coach Schlossnagle has really built that program from the ground up. I know his whole heart is into it. I love what they’ve got going and the success they’ve had. I really want to be a part of that.”

Priester still has 2 1/2 seasons of high school ball to play. The righty is 3-1 with a 0.27 ERA in 26 innings pitched so far in his sophomore season. He has allowed eight hits and five runs, only one earned run. Priester has struck out 39 batters and walked 11.

The 6-foot-3, 181-pounder has topped out his fastball at 93 mph. He said in a game his fastball typically ranges anywhere from 88 to 91 mph.

Priester, who also plays quarterback for the football team, said football strength and conditioning has helped his arm strength.

“I feel like I’m a good competitor,” Priester said. “That’s one of my better qualities. I’m fortunate that I’m able to throw the ball hard.”

Priester is one of 108 players across the country chosen for the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars. From that pool of players, the USA 18U National Team will be selected this summer in Cary, North Carolina.

Priester has not decided what he will study in college, but he is considering business and marketing.

He received his first college scholarship offer from Northwestern last summer after his freshman baseball season. TCU coaches first starting talking to him after a showcase in July at Illinois-Chicago.

“It just felt right,” Priester said of his decision. “I did not want to rush myself. My parents really helped me on this. They’re there for me, and they wanted to make sure that I didn’t jump into anything. You see players my age committing, and it’s pretty early. We wanted to make sure it was the right decision.”