BB1122 THE TIMES, JUNE 25, 2015

Kenston's Porter drafted by Houston Astros By TONY LANGE

Finishing off the best season of his col-lege career, Pat Porter got the phone call hewas waiting for on June 10, and it wasn'tfrom some distant relative wanting to sing"Happy Birthday."

The 2011 Kenston High School gradu-ate led the Ohio State University baseballteam with a .338 batting average out of thethree hole as a senior this spring. He start-ed all 55 games in right field for theBuckeyes and earned first-team all-Big Tenrecognition.

A 6-foot, 215-pound lefty power hitter,Porter knew he was a top-500 prospect forthe MLB draft, complementing his swingwith speed on the bases and a strong arm inthe field, but he did know exactly what toexpect, he said.

"I got a call from my agent, and he justgoes, 'You're an Astro.' And I was like, 'Allright, awesome,'" Porter said about beingselecting by Houston in the 15th round onJune 10, when his parents, Pat and Karen,were in Columbus getting ready to takehim out for a meal on his 22nd birthday.

"It was awesome. I heard the day beforethat I was going to be in play early with theAstros, but I didn't really know what toexpect," he said. "So I was pretty amped.And my family was there, and we were allpretty amped about it and real excited."

Porter said he got a call from the TexasRangers in the sixth round of the draft, butnothing came of it.

"They said, 'We're thinking about takingyou in the eighth,' and stuff like that, but somuch stuff has to go right for them to fol-low through with that," he said. "So I didn'treally pay attention to that and just listenedto my agent; Joe Bick is his name. A lot ofguys on my team in the past recommendedhim, and I knew what he was capable ofdoing."

Playing little league ball in the KenstonBaseball Association since third grade, theBainbridge Township native said he grewup with a solid foundation of fundamentalsto spark his career.

"(Coach) Steve Gratto was a big part ofthat, (coach) Bob Ford, we always playedat Ford Field," Porter said about Kenstonvarsity head coach Bob Ford's private ball-park on his 33-acre property in AuburnTownship. "So it was a good way to get toknow my hometown guys, and we playedtogether our entire middle school and evenhigh school careers.

"So they had a really good program,taught us our fundamentals and everything.It was a great experience from a reallyyoung age there. And Mr. (Randy)Tevepaugh was a big KBA guy too. Hetook me under his wing in middle school,along with Steve Gratto and Brian Monroe.They all really helped me out all through-out my high school career."

A four-year varsity letterman and starterat Kenston, Porter was a first-team all-Ohioselection and named Division II player ofthe year during his senior season, when hebatted .561 with 13 doubles, nine triples,10 home runs, 20 walks, 43 RBIs and 21stolen bases to defend his MVP status inthe Chagrin Valley Conference.

Porter still holds seven career records atKenston, including 333 at-bats, 152 hits,112 RBIs, 35 doubles, 28 triples, 19 homesruns and 137 runs scored.

"I'd say my triples probably stands outmost, because that's something I was ableto continue doing at the next level in col-lege," Porter said. "That one, and then alsomost hits, because I was getting pitchedaround, and I was still finding ways to gethits, even when I was not seeing the bestpitches. It was just a weird experience. Iremember one time I got intentionallywalked three times in a game."

While Porter was a standout baseballplayer at Kenston, he also led the Bombersto a CVC championship and playoff berthhis senior year on the gridiron, beatingAurora, 20-13, in the final game of the2010 season, as a second-team all-Ohio

running back with 1,121 yards on 191 car-ries for 14 touchdowns.

"High school football was the best time,"Porter said. "You really get to know theguys on the team, and there's nothing likebeing out there and spending four to fivehours in two-a-days on the hot field atKenston.

"After my sophomore year, I thought alittle bit about playing football, but I'vealways loved baseball the most. So I justdecided to focus on that."

During his freshman season at OhioState, Porter played in 51 of 60 games with38 starts, finishing the season with a .266

batting average."It was a culture shock, when you're not

the best player and everyone is as good asyou," he said. "I just worked really hard andwas able to get that starting position myfreshman year. I remember I went 0 for likemy first 12 or something, and then my firsthit was against Toledo - I had a triple, iron-ically."

By the end of his four-year career atOhio State, Porter became the Buckeyes'all-time leader in triples with 15, includingfive during his sophomore season, when hestarted in 54 of 55 games and batted .296with four home runs.

During that sophomore season, hereached base in 16 consecutive games andled or tied as the team leader in doubles,triples, home runs, runs scored, RBIs, slug-ging percentage and on-base percentage.

"I spent the summer in the ValleyLeague and learned a lot there and cameback just ready to play," Porter said. "Iknew that right-field position was mine,and mine to lose. So I worked hard, contin-ued to do what I always do and really fig-ured it out at the plate that year."

Following that season, making it to thebig leagues was his goal, Porter said.

"I mean, that was the goal all along fromhigh school, but, after sophomore year, Iwas like, 'This is really becoming a reali-ty,'" Porter said. "So I just tried to continueto do what I always do, which was workhard every day and go about it."

During his junior season with theBuckeyes, Porter started in all 56 games,but his batting average took a dip to .229during Ohio States' 30-28 campaign.

"I just kept working hard, tried not tothink about it and do what's best to help theteam to win," he said. "Obviously, at timesit didn't work, but I got to play summer balland really figure it out in the NorthwoodLeague that summer (in Kenosha, Wis.)."

Putting him back on the radar of proscouts, Porter returned his senior season tolead the Buckeyes with a .338 batting aver-age, 71 hits, 11 home runs - tied for third-most in the Big Ten - and 49 RBIs.

"I really took it as a year that I had noth-ing to lose and had fun playing the game,"he said.

Drafted by the Astros, Porter signed aseven-year deal and got started last weekwith the Tri-City ValleyCats, Houston'sClass A short-season affiliate based out ofTroy, N.Y.

"It's a seven-year contract, but they cantrade you, they can release you, they dropyou down, pull you up," Porter said. "But Ifeel like you can never worry about that.You just have to go out there and play base-ball, focus on the game at hand and notthink that far in advance. So it's nothingnew from summer ball. It's just a lot oftraveling, staying in hotels and playing thegame you love."

Photo courtesy of Ohio State Athletics Pat Porter, a 2011 Kenston High School graduate, got drafted by the Houston Astros on June 10, after finishing a four-year career as a starting outfielder at Ohio State University. During his senior season, Porter led the Buckeyes with a .338battling average, 71 hits, 11 home runs and 49 RBIs, earning first-team all-Big Ten recognition.

Pat PorterOhio State UniversityFirst-team all-Big TenRight fielder 2012-2015

Pat PorterKenston High SchoolDivision II - Player of the year

Center fielder 2008-2011