Rylan Sankey is a pitcher for Rancho Bernardo High School and recently committed to Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. We caught up with Rylan to get his take on the recruiting process, what tips he has for getting exposure to colleges, what he is looking forward to as he heads to Friends University and much more. Check out Rylan’s highlight video below and visit http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/rsankey for Rylan’s full SportsForce Profile.

1. What do you enjoy about playing baseball? Baseball is my escape. All my troubles are gone the instant I step foot on that field. Once on the field, it’s me and my team against you. I love the sound the glove makes when the ball strikes that sweet spot and I love that slow walk around the left side of the mound when I strike someone out. And nothing beats the sound of a bat screaming when it launches the ball over the center field fence! Most of all, I love facing my next opponent as he walks to the plate and I get ready to unleash all I have at him.
2. When did you begin pitching? When I was about 13 years old in Pony League, after Little League. I played first base in Little League.
3. How would you describe yourself as a pitcher? A bull dog! I’m not willing to let go and I fight for the strike until the very end.
4. What other sports did you play growing up? A little soccer and the occasional football game in the neighborhood. Baseball has always been my favorite sport.
5. What type of college experience are you looking for (athletically,
   academically, socially)? Most importantly, I want to get my college degree. But it’s just as important to me to excel in athletics all four years. I can’t wait to see how much better I get with some great coaching and physical training. I am also looking forward to making some long lasting friendships with my teammates and the students at Friends University. The dorms should be a unique experience and I also look forward to some great relationships with the professors, which I think is very possible at a smaller sized school like Friends.
6. How do you decide to sign with Friends University? When my family and I flew out to Wichita, we were impressed with the campus and facilities. Everyone we met there was very nice and the coaches were so enthusiastic about having me. They had a new field this year and we met other team members. I decided that having a more personal relationship with the professors and coaches would be ideal for me. It just felt right. I know I’m going to have to work hard for school and baseball, but I know I’m going to have a great experience!
7. How did it feel to go out to Kansas and sign with the coaching staff? It was very exciting. We explored Wichita and the campus and the coaches both made me feel so welcome and I could talk with them. I know they’ll work me hard, but they were really great.
8. What are you looking forward to most about being a college baseball player? I’m looking forward to the whole college experience and I’m really proud to be a college student-athlete at Friends. It feels good to know that I’ve accomplished my goal despite the fact that there have been many people who have tried to discourage me. But it’s ok, because it made me want success even more, it made me work harder and try harder, and I learned some valuable lessons for my life. I AM A COLLEGE BASEBALL PLAYER!
9. What other colleges actively recruited you? Doane College, Washburn University, Rollins College, and Harding University to name a few.
10. What other schools did you seriously consider and why? Doane and Washburn were at the top of my list because of their campuses and science programs.
11. What college recruiting trips did you take and how were they? I only went to Western Oregon University once and the coaches weren’t very accepting and it seemed like I just wouldn’t have fun there.
12. What was the craziest thing that happened during the recruiting process? When I got my video done on SportsForce, it surprised me how many colleges responded within the very first week!
13. What helped you maximize your exposure to colleges? The online profile video and DVD video was perfect. It was sent with college applications and/or an email indicating my interest in their school. It really gave the coaches an idea of how I throw, even if they were out of state and couldn’t see me in person.
14. What advice would you give to a high school athlete looking to play college sports? NEVER GIVE UP. That’s something I’ve learned. There will always be people who encourage you and people who discourage you. Take in the encouragement, and sift through the criticism for any useful information, but keep working at it if it’s something you love.
15. How did your family helped in the college selection and recruiting process? I couldn’t have done it without them. Dad looked at all the colleges on a sports level and Mom made sure the colleges offered science programs that she knew I wanted to pursue. SportsForce helped me get the video produced so we could distribute it.
16. What is your intended college major? I plan to major in chemistry or pre-pharmacy.
17. What is your long term career ambition? Hopefully to become a pharmaceutical chemist.
18. What are your baseball goals over the next few years? To raise my velocity and gain more control of my split-finger. I also want to contribute to taking this team to a new level. I wouldn’t mind setting some new records too.
19. What do you do to prepare to be a successful student-athlete
    (training, practice, film review, etc.)? Practice is where the sweat and the hard work are put in. And I have regular regimen for weight training 3 times a week. And I have a protein drink routine I follow for building strength and trimming down. Then the games are just pure fun!
20. What hobbies or interest do you have outside of sports? I love to sing and play guitar, draw, play video games, hacky-sack, and snowboard. And I love animals.

On Wednesday, Canyon Crest Academy senior Matt Malott entered elite company, when he pitched a perfect game against Bloomfield, Colorado, in the La Jolla Country Day tournament at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, CA. Matt struck out ten batters in his dominant seven inning performance with a variety of pitches including a four-seam fastball, curve, change-up, and two-seam fastball.

A recent SportsForce combine participant, Matt was an event standout with superior control and command for prep level athlete. Canyon Crest Academy head coach Ryan Sienko emphasized Matt’s abilities when questioned after the game by the North County Times saying that Matt, “…mixed his pitches really well. He is a hard working kid that pounds the strike zone.” Matt’s performance was truly spectacular and we at SportsForce want to congratulate the SportsForce alum on his great achievement and what will likely be an impressive and successful season.

See Matt’s full SportsForce profile at: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/mmalott

Highlight Video and Scouting report courtesy of SportsForce – Home for college Sports Recruiting Videos, Tips, Tools and Premium Services – www.sportsforceonline.com

SportsForce held its pre-season Baseball Prospect Video Combine two weeks ago at Westview High School in San Diego. The combine was a success with great weather and some great workouts. The combine was aimed at players specifically looking to play at the next level and was an ideal opportunity for for unsigned seniors or potential MLB draft selections, top juniors looking to get nationwide college exposure and for elite sophomores that want to get on the college recruiting map early.

Fourteen players from several different high schools and club teams from the area attended the combine. The schools represented at the event were: Torrey Pines, TriCity Christian, Westview, Mission Hills, Scripps Ranch, Hoover SouthWest High School (El Centro, CA), and Great Oak (Temecula, CA). A few players had very strong workouts on the day. Southwests High School junior pitcher, Gerardo Cortez, Jr. had a great day with his fastball averaging 84-86mph.

The following players also had impressive workouts at the SportsForce combine:

Jon Putnam – C -Mission Hills High School-2011

Corey Suzukawa – OF – Mission Hills High School-2010

Zack Zehner – OF – Torrey Pines High School-2012

Conner Wilson- 1B- Scripps Ranch High School-2011

Santiago Covarrubias – LF – Hoover High School-2010

Sports Force will be holding another baseball prospect combine this June. See below for a highlight video of the combine or visit the SportsForce baseball page.

SportsForce (www.sportsforceonline.com) is hosting a pre-season college baseball prospect video combine for top Southern California players looking to take ownership of their careers and maximize exposure to college coaches around the country. The SportsForce combine is a one day event held on Sunday, February 14^th beginning at 9 AM at Westview High School in San Diego, CA. The SportsForce College Baseball Prospect Video Combine is focused on assisting college level prospects, and is an ideal opportunity for unsigned seniors, top juniors looking to get nationwide college exposure, and elite sophomores and freshman who want to get on the college recruiting map early.

Here’s an example profile of top up and coming player that is getting actively recruited.

Corey Oswalt – 3B / SS – Madison High – 2012

See Corey’s full SportsForce profile at: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/coswalt

If you have a son that is looking to maximize his exposure to college baseball coaches and need an easy, professional and affordable way to market him to colleges around the country, then the SportsForce athlete profile package and combines can help. The simple truth is that there are over 1,000 college baseball programs across the country, but most college coaches don’t have the time, – or the recruiting budget – to attend many games and evaluate many players in person. SportsForce’s custom online player profiles and professional combine skills videos – which will be offered at a discount for this event – are the solution to the lack of college recruiting exposure that even many quality high school athletes experience.

For a few hundred dollars, the SportsForce packages for 1-Position or 2-Position players include professionally shot baseball skills videos, a custom edited and labeled recruiting highlight DVD, and a one year SportsForce online profile membership.

SportsForce is NOT a recruiting service. We have assisted almost 1,000 student-athletes and families and have had an 80% success rate over the past 3 years. Our staff has over 50 years of combined college and professional baseball experience and clearly understands the needs of today’s student-athletes, sports parents and college coaches.

For more information about SportsForce athlete profile packages or upcoming combines please contact:

Event Director – Andrew Beinbrink

Phone – (858) 350-1786

Email – info@sportsforceonline.com

www.sportsforceonline.com

SportsForce athlete Oscar Sanay has accepted an athletic scholarship to Cal State Bakersfield to continue his baseball career with them. Oscar, who plays short stop and second base for Bonita Vista High School and club for the Bonita Vista Legends, had a few key factors which helped him decide on CSU Bakersfield. Oscar was able to secure a scholarship that would allow him to play at CSU and move away from home. Oscar was also equally impressed with the level of education CSU Bakersfield can provide as well as the playing time he will see with their baseball team.

Oscar, who was originally leaning towards attending another university became aware that he would have a better chance to grow as a player at CSU Bakersfield. Oscar shared with SportsForce that what he is most looking forward to in college is a chance be around others who love the game as much as he does well as get a great education for whatever the future may hold.

“The most thing I’m looking forward to in playing at CSU Bakersfield is getting better. Not just getting better about baseball, but being more educated,” Oscar told us.

We wish Oscar the best of luck at CSU Bakersfield and hope to be hearing more great things from him in the future. Visit Oscar’s full SportsForce profile and check him out in action below.

Nolan Mera is a center fielder for the University City High School baseball team. Nolan also plays for the SoCal Blast. Visit Nolan’s full profile and see his video below.

Nick Sloan is kicker/ punter for Scripps Ranch High School. The 5’11 185lb junior has been a member of the varsity squad since his sophomore year and was named the Special Teams MVP in 2008. Visit his full profile and see him in action below.

Mar Vista High Softball pitcher, Angelica Iacovetti has received much recognition for her talents, named 1st Team All-Southbay League Led league in HRs(6) 2nd Team CIF San Diego Section Div III Union Tribune Athlete of the Week(5-12-09) and San Diego Section III CIF Finalist. Angelica has her sights set on a few schools: St.John’s University; Academy of Art University; Stanford; University of California; Berkeley; Wagner College; San Francisco State; Savannah College of the Arts. Visit her full profile.

Shelby Isley is a midfielder for the Girls Soccer team at Archbishop O’Leary High School in Alberta, Canada. She is also a member of the track and field team. See her video below and visit her full profile.

A senior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA, Thomas Pluschkell plays third base and first base. Thomas received the All Academic Team AZ Fall Classic HS Coaches Award and is looking at MT, UCLA, Stanford, USC, UCSD and Notre Dame to continue his baseball career. See his video below and visit his full profile.

Chelsea Maestas is a junior at Murrieta Valley High School and plays second base and center field for the Nighthawks softball team. She also plays for the San Diego Legacy and was a member of the the 2009 League Champions and recieved the 2009 Golden Glove Award. Check out her full profile.

SportsForce is constantly adding new athlete profiles to our site across all sports. We would like to take the opportunity to showcase our newest athletes each week to help them get the visibility they deserve.

Trevor McKinley is a right handed pitcher out of Steele Canyon High School. He is a member of the class of 2010 and plays club baseball for the San Diego Gamers.

Marie Bradvica is an outfielder, catcher and plays first base for the Carlsbad High School Softball Team. She plays for The Next Level Club team and is class of 2011.

If you’ve visited the Girls Lacrosse page recently you have noticed quite a few new faces. Many of the athletes attended the SportsForce 7v7 Tournament on September 12th in San Diego at Cathedral Catholic High School. Girls from over 20 different high schools enjoyed play and great competition. The tournament grew past it’s original capacity of 45 girls and fielded 8 teams and 5 goalies for a total of 61 girls! The tournament included top tier Varsity level athletes participating from San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles High Schools including La Costa Canyon, Torrey Pines, Coronado, La Jolla, Westview, Scripps Ranch, Carlsbad, Foothill, Los Alamitos, Great Oaks and Redondo Union to just name a few. Check back with the SportsForce blog for a full recap of the event. In the meantime, visit our Girls Lacrosse section to see some profiles.

SportsForce co-founder Tony Garcia a former Park View Little Leaguer helps the Parkview team by getting support from the San Diego Padres and ESPN Radio 710 AM in Los Angeles.

San Diego Padres Players Send Best Wishes to Parkview Little All Stars

ESPN Radio 710 Interview

Park View Little League Coach Ricky Ramirez the father of Little League all-star player Luke Ramirez gets interviewed by ESPN Radio 710 AM.

By Alex Lontayo – SportsForce co-founder

Baseball is an amazing game. For as long as I can remember, it has been an integral part of my life. I’m reminded of all that is has done for me everyday. I have pics of myself holding a ball before I was able to sit up unassisted or pics of myself dragging a bat before I was able to walk. The game was taught to me at an early age and helped me grow as a person. With the buzz about Parkview Little League’s run at the World Series (http://www.parkviewlittleleague.com/), I’ve found myself really looking back at my days back in little league and all the game offered me throughout my life. All of the opportunities I have been blessed with were through baseball. I see the passion that they play with and the camaraderie they have and it really hits home. That’s what you’d expect when they’ve been a TEAM for over 7 years. For most of those kids that’s half of their life. That’s when I really reflect on my life and what baseball brought me.

You see back in the day (no I won’t mention the long walks to school 10 miles away in the snow as most stories seem to go when sentences start that way), we were that team. Our team had been together for years and we were finally coming into our own. The problem with us was we didn’t complete the journey as they did. What we did do, was STAY friends from that time forward. Our group of guys went onto to play Pony, High School, College, Professional, even had a guy reach the big leagues. Those times directed us along the paths that we took. Each of us still live in the same area and, of course, still remain close friends. In fact, most of us would take a friend label as a slap in the face, since we’re all more like brothers. Having brothers like that because of a game we loved is special. I’m sure there are stories all over the world about the friendships that were created from amateur sports. You never seem to let those times go. With all of the great people that I have been blessed with in my life because of baseball, there’s a deep reflection of what these kids will face in the coming years.

Teammates possibly going to different schools, guys not making the jump to the next level, whatever the circumstances, there will come a time when the next level will not be realistic. That is something that no player who loves the game ever wants to hear. The reality of the game is a tough pill to swallow. I truly believe that is a driving factor in the minds of all the SportsForce team. We’ve all been faced with that reality whether it was the high school to college process or the AA to AAA jump in professional baseball. There are times in your life that having the insight and experience there to help you, can drive your decision making in a manner that will better suit your long term goals. I know looking back; I wish I had more information about the process by friends who had been there. I’m not saying that my career would have turned out any differently, but I know the journey could have.

I can only hope that these young ballplayers will be guided the right way. I am a firm believer that you “always have a chance, when you put the uniform on.” You just never know. I’ve played against the David Eckstein’s of the world who wouldn’t let their size be a roadblock to their long term goals. I see a lot of that in these kids. I’m actually motivated more in my life because of what they’re doing. I look back at all my brothers, even sisters that I’ve played against and truly thank them for all of the memories. I hope every player in every sport that aspires for something greater gets that opportunity. Watching these kids play the game with passion and without a care in the world is special. I know there’s a great community rallying behind their every pitch and every swing. I know I am. Win or lose, these kids have succeeded. I hope they go on with their lives and keep these friendships to reflect upon when they’re my age, but give back to the game in any way they can. That way someday, the next group will experience it all again, with all of it made possible because baseball is an amazing game…

Sportsforce was at the Aflac All-American Game at Petco Park this last weekend, where the country’s best baseball players showcased there skills before a busy crowd of parents, fans, and professional and college scouts. Broken into two teams, the East team and the West team, the roster was composed of the Top 40 high school baseball players in the country. The competition was fierce and the incredible talent at the event performed impressively.

Some of the event’s top talent included Jameson Taillon, the 6′ 7″ fireballer from Woodlands, Texas, Yordy Cabrera, the powerful slugger from Lakeland, Florida, and Bryce Harper of Las Vegas, Nevada, the most acclaimed prep-level athlete in the country and the player who has been called the future “Lebron James of baseball.” Taillon was dominant, throwing 2 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts, Cabrera won the Aflac Homerun Derby, hitting 8 bombs in the first round, and Harper displayed an impressive all-around skill set and made an amazing defensive play throwing out Chevez Clarke at second base for an inning ending double play.