Set in Stone

                   Nick Allen, #6  Baseball Prospect for the Class of 2017

                                                                   Published August 21, 2015 

                                                                                 By Jacob Polacheck 

     

    Standing at 5’9” and 155 pounds, Francis Parker(San Diego, California) Shortstop, Nick Allen isn’t the most intimidating player, but when you see him play for yourself, there will be little doubt in your mind that he is one of the top baseball players for the class of 2017.

 

      

     On October 14, 2014, during his freshman year, Allen committed to The University of Southern California over UCLA and USD, making him the first baseball player in the 2017 class to commit to a four-year school. Allen had this to say about his early commitment: " I know everyone thinks, Freshman year, a kid who hasn’t really played his first high school baseball game yet commits to a D1 college is kinda weird and all that stuff, but I’ve played enough travel ball against high quality competition for colleges to see me. Also, I felt like USC was the right fit because they wanted me at that moment and with baseball, colleges are starting to start the process a lot earlier for trying to commit people. So, I really liked USC and thought it was a very good fit for me and that’s the reason why I committed so early."

 

     Last year, as a sophomore, Allen had an incredible .342 batting percentage and stole 28 bases in only 29 attempts. When asked about his previous success, Allen replied, "I feel like I'm a very good defender, but that's just right now. I feel like I can hit with power, but also that needs to be worked on, so I mean nothing is great. Nothing is set in stone yet. Still, there is a lot more room for improvement. So I think defending is probably the best part of my game."

 

   

     Even with all of the success, the USC commit knows that he can get better, saying, "I need to be a more consistent hitter and I think that also comes with more maturity, gaining more maturity at the plate and just getting daily reps, really working on some things. Nothing's set in stone, so I never really consider myself a top player until, eventually, hopefully, I can make it, but I just go out there every day with everyone else. I try to work as hard as I can and wherever my talent falls or whenever it ends, then I try not to let the pressure effect me."

 

     Although nothing is set in stone, Nick Allen, through hard work and dedication has set himself up in a position to succeed. Allen will, no doubt, be a player to look out for at USC when he graduates in 2017. As he said it best himself, "I hope that I can go out there, hopefully stay healthy and play the game that I love to as long as I can and as much as I can."