John Votaw '19 Recruiting Profile

My name is John Votaw; I am 5’11” and 195 pounds. I play for Conifer High School in the Colorado 7 League. Last year our High School team won our league for the first time in our school’s history. This summer I will be playing for the North Florida Storm 18U Red team. I have been playing baseball all of my life and play catcher, third base, and pitcher. The position that I love the most is catcher because I like being the “quarterback” of the diamond and enjoy working with our pitchers. My strongest skills are receiving, blocking, and calling a great game for our pitchers. I am a hard worker and leader on any team that I have been on and would like to play baseball at a great school and play at the highest competitive level possible.

In the summer of 2017 I received a sportsmanship medal from an opposing team coach because he recognized my hard work and commitment behind the plate. Even though baseball is my main sport, I have learned to work hard and compete at a high level through ice hockey. Last year my Tier 2 Minor AA hockey team placed third at USA hockey Nationals while competing against the best teams in the country. My hockey experience helped me learn how to play under pressure when a game is on the line. It is my goal to bring that experience to any baseball team that I will play for in college.

I have been working with MLB catcher Ryan Lavarnway during this off-season to improve my skills. He and I are working on lowering my pop times as well as strengthening my other catching skills. I also pride myself on my offensive game and have always been a power hitter that also hits for average. I believe that I have great vision at the plate and I am a smart situational hitter.

I would like to go to school in the Eastern U.S. but I would enroll anywhere where I can get a great education and play baseball with a team that will help me grow as a player and a person. Because I love to know how things work and enjoy Physics and Calculus in high school, I plan to study Mechanical Engineering in college. In high school I have been able achieve highest and high honors while taking AP and Honors courses. Because I am taking challenging courses in high school this is preparing me for the rigorous academic challenges in college.

I know I will add value to any baseball team with my hard working mentality, commitment and strong academic performance. My future goal is to play baseball at the highest level possible while achieving the best education I can.