On Oct. 30, sophomore Quincy Mazeke verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati. This is a monumental moment for an athlete who has been dreaming of playing Division I ever since he picked up a bat and ball. 

A verbal commitment means that a player agrees to play a sport for a college team before they sign or are eligible to sign a National Letter of Intent.

Being a college athlete is usually every player’s goal and being able to achieve that is a huge accomplishment especially for only being a sophomore.

“Being able to live out my dream of playing D1 baseball hasn’t really set in yet, I mean I committed on Oct. 30 so it’s still a bit fresh,” Mazeke said.

Mazeke is an outfielder who mostly plays centerfield but is very flexible to play all three outfield positions. Mazeke has participated in PBR (Prep Baseball Report) events and even games and that has helped Cincinnati consider him for their school and ultimately offering him a spot on the team.

With only being a sophomore in high school, many people drew the question of why he committed so early, especially since he has two more years of high school left.

“I would say that when you have an opportunity to set yourself up in the future with a Power 5 Program that is in state and all in on you, you can’t decline that,” Mazeke said.

During Mazeke’s freshman year he started on the JV baseball team. After making massive jumps of improvement, he got called up in the middle of the season to come play with Varsity. 

This also means he has the opportunity to become a four year letterman when he is done with his high school career. All this can be alot for someone, but from what it seems, this pressure has not affected him too much.

“I would say all pressure has been eliminated, I feel like now I can just go out and enjoy the game and not have to worry about chasing a spot on a college roster,” Mazeke said.

 Being committed can take both a positive and negative turn on how people treat you. 

“People for the most part have been great with treating me the same and being consistent in their actions,” Mazeke said. “I mean yeah there is gonna be some heckling here and there and people telling me I suck, but that’s a part of it and I’m going to keep working.”

GlenOaks 2023 baseball season is coming up soon and Mazeke is looking to make a big impact, but he can now say he is also a future college athlete.

“I am just excited to step foot into Cincinnati in 2025,” Mazeke said.