After his outstanding sophomore campaign, Greater Latrobe’s Aaron Gaskey knew he’d be hearing from plenty of college baseball coaches when the calendar turned to August. With contact permitted as of midnight on Aug. 1, myriad schools reached out to the Wildcats hurler, with Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh each extending scholarship offers on the first day.

It took just one week for Gaskey to make a decision that could impact his life for the next half decade or more, as he committed to the Nittany Lions.

“Being able to go to such a prestigious school like Penn State, of course, and knowing that I’ll be able to play there…it’s literally a dream come true,” he explained.

Other schools expressed interest in Gaskey, including the University of Notre Dame, Virginia Tech University, Purdue University, East Carolina University, Kent State University, and St. John’s University. Ultimately, though, the junior trusted the vision that was presented by the Nittany Lions and head coach Mike Gambino.

“I really started to believe in them – seeing what they were doing in their recruiting classes ahead of me and just getting to know their program better and better made me really confident in the decision,” Gaskey detailed.

“Seeing how fast the spots were filling up knowing that a lot of people believe in them like I do made me want to hop on the train even faster,” he added.

In the spring, Gaskey went 4-1 with an ERA of 2.59 in 32.1 innings, issuing 25 walks while striking out 49 hitters. He helped the Wildcats achieve a mark of 17-4, although the season ended in disappointment with a loss to Bethel Park in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

Gaskey attributed his strong season to a change in his mentality on the hill, as he focused on not dwelling on his mistakes. He still recognizes there’s room for growth, though, and he hopes to trim his walk rate over the next two seasons, while continuing to develop his pitch shaping.

Gaskey also benefitted from his other brother, Vince, already navigating the recruiting process. Vince, who is entering his sophomore campaign at Slippery Rock University, pushed his younger brother on the field, but also set a template for him off the field.

“He kind of paved the way for me – getting to see what he did in high school for recruiting and tournaments and how to get seen,” Aaron noted.

With two more years of high school baseball still on his horizon, Gaskey has high hopes for both individual and team success. Next season will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Wildcats winning the WPIAL and PIAA titles, and Gaskey believes his team can also make some history. A state title, which is played at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, would be a surreal outcome for the future Nittany Lion.

“That’s absolutely the goal. That’s where everyone wants to be, and I feel like we have a legitimate chance to do that,” he said. “It’d be super cool to get a sneak peak of what it’s like to pitch on that field before I even go up there.”