By PHIL SANCHEZ
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
CARMEL – JD Stein, Carmel High School’s senior shortstop, started playing baseball at the young age of four, and he hasn’t looked back since.
“Hitting apples in my grandparents’ backyard, it was kind of my thing, I loved it,” Stein said. “I kept playing, worked hard, and didn’t take many days off, still don’t.”
Stein talked to News 8’s Phil Sanchez over the phone while he was at a baseball tournament in Florida.
Stein’s hard work paid off as he announced his commitment to play for Wake Forest University next year.
“Right when I stepped on campus, it was kind of a different feel,” Stein said. “All the guys have the same external goal of winning. There’s not one thing they do that’s not competitive, even ping pong in the clubhouse, it’s all competitive, and that’s who I am. I feed into that.”
His commitment to a Power Five school came as no surprise to anyone. Stein originally committed to Louisville when he was in the eighth grade, but decommitted earlier this year.
“I was really young when I committed to Louisville, and I didn’t explore any other options,” Stein said. “So, I just wanted to step back and make sure I make the right decision.”
Prep Baseball Reports ranks Stein as the 10th best player in Indiana for the class of 2025, but even with so much success early on, there were still naysayers.
“There have been some people who said I was too small or not built enough, but you can’t worry about that,” Stein said. “You just have to keep working.”
It’s a mindset that he developed while working with his hitting coach and Chicago White Sox Scouting Director Mike Shirley, who is from Anderson, Indiana.
“He was a huge impact in my life, not just in baseball,” Stein said. “He pushed me and taught me to embrace the struggle.”
Stein credits his family for his success. His mother Lisa and his father Mike who, along with his two sisters, helped him get to where he is today.
“My dad played centerfield for Northwestern,” Stein said. “So, I guess it’s in the blood.”
This story originally appeared on WISH-TV at wishtv.com/sports/ carmel-high-schools-jd-stein-commits-to-wake-forest-university/