Altoona’s Alwine will play baseball at FIU next year
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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
When Evan Alwine first stepped on to a pitching mound as a sophomore for the Altoona Area High School baseball team back in the spring of 2020, veteran Mountain Lions coach Tom Smith saw a young athlete that possessed all the physical tools.
"He came in as a tenth grader playing varsity baseball for the first time, and threw every pitch, including a change-up, with ease,'' Smith said Wednesday morning. "That is not an easy thing to do.''
Alwine, who stands 6-feet-5 and weighs 225 pounds, also possesses an emotional maturity that is characteristic of those far beyond his years.
"I've never had to tell him anything about behavior or attitude,'' Smith said. "He's so mature on the baseball field. If a teammate behind him makes an error, he just turns around, smiles at him, and says 'Get the next one.'
"He has a very rare maturity for a high school athlete,'' Smith added. "The coaching staff and I know that we have something special in him.''
Members of the NCAA Division I Florida International University baseball coaching staff obviously agree. Before family, friends and coaches Wednesday morning at the Altoona Area High School Fieldhouse, Alwine -- now an Altoona senior -- signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his education and play baseball on the college level at FIU.
"I'm just excited to get down there and play in some nice baseball weather all year around,'' said Alwine, who will join an FIU squad that competes in Conference USA.
Alwine said that the baseball coaching staff at the Miami-based college showed intense interest in recruiting him.
"It was a full-circle thing,'' Alwine said. "Their head coach (Rich Witten), was previously at Virginia Commonwealth University, and their pitching coach now, Sean Thompson, grew up in Indiana, Pa. and has ties to this area, and he was also recruiting me when he was a coach at Monmouth University.
"Both coaches got a hold of me and I had a visit to the FIU campus last August 17,'' Alwine added. "Everything was perfect, and that's when I made my decision.''
Alwine's father, Terry, and mother, Sherry, were on hand flanking him and congratulating him at the signing table Wednesday.
"Evan was always happy and enthusiastic about being outside and playing baseball,'' Terry Alwine said of his son, who is also a member of Altoona's varsity boys basketball team. "He started in T-ball at the age of 5, and as he got into junior high school, he could really throw a baseball well. It seemed like throwing was his thing.''
Evan Alwine's three-pitch repertoire includes a fast ball and curve ball as well as the change-up, and last spring as a junior, he played a pivotal role in Altoona's District 6 championship and PIAA state playoff run.
Evan Alwine pitched a shutout as the Mountain Lions blanked archrival State College, 10-0 in the District 6 Class 6A championship game, then followed that up with a no-hit effort in Altoona's 2-0 state playoff victory over Erie McDowell.
During his junior season, Evan Alwine carded a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 2.35 in 51ª innings pitched. He recorded 63 strikeouts and walked just 17 batters, holding opponents to a .177 batting average.
A good hitter as well, Alwine batted .306 and ended Altoona's mercy-rule district championship game with an RBI single.
"Evan is most deserving of this scholarship,'' Smith said. "He played such a big part in our success last year as a team. His dedication to the sport of baseball is well-known and he has done everything in his power to prepare himself to play at the next level.''
Indeed, baseball has been a year-round pursuit for Evan Alwine, who has also been a member of the Flood City travel baseball team coached by former professional baseball pitchers Rick Roberts and Mike Connolly.
Evan Alwine gave Roberts and Connolly plenty of credit for helping him to gain exposure to college baseball scouts through his participation on the team.
"Playing there was great for the recruiting process for me,'' Alwine said. "I went to places like Georgia multiple times and Florida with the Flood City team, and there were college scouts at every single field. Coach Roberts and Coach Connolly have endless connections, and they were great getting me seen and recruited.''
Evan Alwine is an outstanding student who carries a 4.0 grade point average and is ranked 59th academically in his class. He said thathe is currently undecided on a college major but is considering business administration.
"FIU gave him a really good offer,'' Terry Alwine said. "We're hoping that he can get some money for his academic performance as well, and together with the athletic scholarship, that should cover most of his college costs. We're just really excited for him.''