Cade Harp, a White Hall High School senior, was elated to draw interest from some college baseball programs, including a brand new ballclub in northern Arkansas.
"For a little bit there, I wasn't really interested in playing that much more," he said. "I had a lot of mishaps with my arm. I lost [velocity] for a bit, and my arm wasn't the same. I don't know; something happened this summer, and I just felt like that was just something I wanted to do."
Harp solidified his future Wednesday, signing with Arkansas State University at Mountain Home as part of just its second-ever recruiting class. The Trailblazers will begin play this spring.
"I want to be where I want to be wanted, and they wanted me," Harp said. "They have everything I want, and that's where I want to be."
Cade Harp is a shortstop and right-handed pitcher who plays under his father Shane at White Hall. They helped the Bulldogs return to the 5A state playoffs last spring.
"He started off strong, but in the middle [of the season] couldn't find the strike zone," Shane Harp said. "He ended up pitching really well at the end, and we had a couple of other juniors who pitched really well and played good defense and stuff like that. We also had those good seniors, too."
Shane Harp said Cade's willingness to work out on his own and hone his craft helped him improve his game. Cade Harp has topped 88 mph on the pitching radar.
"I didn't have to make him go work out," the coach said. "He's addicted to fielding and hitting and things like that. Those pitching lessons ... he's always a guy wanting to become a better player. We got to a point where the last two years, we didn't have to force him to do anything. The only thing we had to force him to do was eat extra because he needs to gain some weight."
The Harps met ASU Mountain Home Coach Spencer Adcock in the parking lot of a Walmart in Malvern after a planned visit to the campus was snowed out. After much prayer with his family, Cade decided he wanted to take a route to a new program.
"I never had a college coach who reached out to me seem to care that much," Cade Harp said. "That's really what made me want to go there. If they care that much about me, I know when I go there, the coach will be outstanding and he'll just be there every step of the way. That's what I need."
This version clarifies that Cade Harp was interested in playing on a collegiate level.