David Hagaman Commits to West Virginia University

Cedar Creek High School junior David Hagaman has verbally committed to play baseball at NCAA Division I West Virginia University.

The 16-year-old from Mullica Township was recruited to pitch for the Big East Conference’s Mountaineers on an athletic scholarship that should cover 65% to 70% of his tuition, he said.

“I’m really excited about it,” Hagaman said

He won’t be able to sign his letter of intent until the fall of his senior year.

Hagaman played multiple sports when he was younger but decided to focus solely on baseball starting in the eighth grade.

“Baseball was just something I enjoyed more,” Hagaman said.

He currently plays for two travel teams, the Sand Sharks and the Young Guns, both out of South Jersey.

Hagaman spent a lot of time narrowing his choices.

“For the last eight or nine months that’s all my family has been doing, traveling around,” he said.

“As soon as I was at West Virginia, it felt like I was at home,” Hagaman said. “It felt like where I would progress the most and get better.”

When asked what about WVU he’s looking forward to, Hagaman said, “Getting my freedom, getting away from Jersey and being on my own for a little while. ... Getting to meet all the players I’ll be playing with and getting to play, I love the culture they’ve got there.”

While at WVU, he thinks he might study business or marketing.

Hagaman has his sights set on baseball’s Major Leagues though.

“Ever since I was little, I dreamed about the big time, playing in the MLB,” Hagaman said.

But Hagaman still has two more high school seasons to play.

“Right now, I’m trying to build more muscle,” Hagaman said. “(I’m) working on a couple of pitches, getting them to locate a little bit better, working on velocity.”

Cedar Creek coach Ryan Flannery said Hagaman’s work ethic is an advantage.

“He came in as a freshman with a lot of raw talent,” Flannery said. “His ability to work on some of the stuff in the offseason that we talk about has really helped him. We’re excited for him to step up as an upperclassman and to help lead the team to a South Jersey Group II championship.”

Hagaman thinks Cedar Creek has a chance to compete in the spring.

“Our team is going to be pretty good this year,” Hagaman said. “We’ve got one of the best pitching staffs. We’ve definitely got a chance.”

Cedar Creek went 16-10 last year, including 7-5 in the Cape-Atlantic League. Hagaman has a career 3.18 ERA with 49 strikeouts.

He has 33 hits, 23 RBIs and a .393 career batting average.

https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/cedar-creek-s-david-hagaman-commits-to-west-virginia-for/article_0dcc1d32-4a0c-581c-9bf7-93b710f3f7f8.html