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Our Q&A 

Prep Baseball: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Otto: I had always hoped of playing division one baseball, but I didn’t put the pieces together until late in the process. For a while, it was pretty quiet until the middle-back half of my junior summer.

PB: What do you like most about the program you chose, and what were the key factors in making your decision?

O: I really have a lot of respect for the coaching staff and the way they run things, and I know it is a place that I can steadily develop.

PB: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

O: Don’t rush the process or compare your journey to anybody else’s. There’s kids that commit in the first week of recruiting opening up. Focus on your own development, and being a great teammate, and the opportunities will come.

PB: Did location or distance from home play a factor in your decision?

O: Location was important to me, but at the end of the day development, relationships, and competition mattered more.

PB: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Where did the school you committed to first see you play?

O: Late in my Junior summer. The NC State pitching coach saw me mid July along with some other schools and it was pretty hot for about a month.

PB: Was there a particular Prep Baseball tournament or showcase that helped accelerate your recruiting process? If yes, how so?

O: The PBR National Championship- Lakepoint 7/16/25. All the final schools I was deciding between saw me here.

PB: What other schools were on your short list before you made your final decision?

O: Duke, Baylor, Nebraska

PB: Who is the best player you have faced in your state? What about them makes for a tough opponent?

O: Grant Westphal, takes the changeup away and is a tough at bat.

PB: If you could steal any tool or quality from another player in the state, what would it be and who would it be from?

O: Milo Burton['s] athleticism.

PB: Who is the next talented young player to keep an eye on out of your high school or travel program?

O: High School - Luke McKenna, Club - Marshall Awtry

PB: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college-caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

O: Beginning of Sophomore Year. I was up to 89 the previous summer and knew I just needed to hone some things in.

PB: What is the most memorable moment in your baseball career to this point?

O: Getting to go to the field with my summer teammates every weekend.

PB: Preview your high school team's season for us. How do you feel your team will be?

O: I believe we have the best pitching rotation in the whole state. Me, Max McKenna, Luke McKenna, Cale Fossett, Jackson Barker, and Connor MCool is a plenty deep group of arms. I think we have a shot to make it to Lawrence, we will go as far as our bats take us.

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