Baseball star gets full ride to U of O

Standout Outlaws catcher Joey Morgan recently signed an official letter of intent to play baseball for the University of Oregon (U of O).

Morgan has been hard at work at the game since he was nine years old and his dream of playing at the next level has come true.

Morgan started traveling with a club team at age 12. Joey played for the Sisters Outlaws Baseball Club, which was part of the Central Oregon Baseball League (COBL) and was on the road for games most weekends. During the week, Joey played middle school ball with his Outlaw buddies.

The summer before Morgan's freshman year in high school he was recruited by Team Northwest, a traveling team based out of Seattle. The elite team was comprised of top-notch players from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The squad traveled to tournaments all over the United States, many in Arizona, and some as far away as Georgia and North Carolina.

While playing with Team Northwest in Goodyear, Arizona, along with 64 other top teams from the western half of the United States, Morgan was noticed by several colleges.

Team Northwest made it all the way to the championship game, which was played on the Mariners' spring training field. It was a 10-game tournament and after the first game the University of Oregon contacted Morgan.

"The U of O told me they had an offer in mind but wanted to watch me a little more before they made the offer," said Morgan. "They watched me play three more games and then called and said they'd decided to make an immediate offer which was tuition, books, and half of my room and board."

Morgan made an official visit to U of O this past July and met with Head Coach George Horton and the coaching staff.

"My visit was awesome," said Morgan. "The first day they showed me all the athletic facilities. They are among the top in the country, backed by Phil Knight and Nike. They also showed me the Jaqua Center, which is their academic center for their student athletes. I was told it's the most expensive building in the entire state of Oregon per square foot. I think it's really cool they have a separate place just for their student athletes to get their work done."

Morgan was to visit Oregon State the following week. At that time the U of O made Joey an offer he couldn't refuse.

"The U of O told me they were tired of losing kids to Oregon State," said Morgan. "They told me if I wouldn't visit Oregon State and call them and tell them I was committed to Oregon they would bump my scholarship to a full ride."

Needless to say, Joey took the offer, but interest in Morgan didn't end there. Joey also was in contact with several pro scouts.

Morgan has had multiple phone conversations with pro scouts from the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs and the Oakland As.

Joey said, "I had several pro scouts tell me to keep my options open to playing professional baseball immediately after high school. It would definitely have to be for a good amount to pass up Oregon's scholarship offer."

In August of 2013, Joey played on the National Team Development Program. The 40 top players were flown to Cary, North Carolina, to the USA Baseball National Training Complex for a week. Players were coached by some of the best coaches in the country, ex-major league players and prestigious college athletes. During the week the athletes also played four games.

"It was an awesome experience," said Morgan. "We got to know players from all over and were coached by the best in the country. We also got a ton of USA baseball gear and got to be in a photo shoot."

This past January, Morgan was in Glendale, Arizona, for a final tournament with Team Northwest. TN won the 64-team tourney and played in the championship game at the Dodgers' spring training stadium.

Morgan said, "It was so cool to get to play in that stadium. When you walk on the field and look around for the first time it's cool thinking about all the other players who've been there before - even though I am a Giant's fan."

Morgan will finish his fourth year as a varsity Outlaw this spring and wrap up an outstanding high school career. As a freshman he was named first-team all-league and third-team all-state. That was just the beginning of his accomplishments. As a sophomore and a junior he was named first-team all-league, first-team all-state and was selected the Sky-Em Player of the Year.

Last season as a junior, Morgan finished league with a batting average of .705, which broke the Sky-Em record. He recorded 44 hits, 27 of them in league with 10 being extra bases. He batted .595 on the entire season.

Morgan holds 12 different Outlaws baseball records. Defensively, only two players tried to steal on him the entire year.

High school Coach Steve Hodges told The Nugget that Morgan is the epitome of a team player.

"Joey is a consummate team player and is well respected by his teammates and the coaches around the league," said Hodges. "He deserves everything he's getting. He's put in the work. It's been a privilege to coach a young man who's humble about his achievements and always strives to get better.

"Joey is equally as strong on defense as he is on offense," added Hodges. "As a catcher, Joey is an excellent blocker, he has a great arm, and he shuts down the opponents' running game."

Morgan will head to Medford three days after graduation and compete in the West Coast League.

Joey will be in Medford until mid-August and then immediately head to the university for pre-season workouts and conditioning.

"I'd really like to take baseball as far as I can," said Morgan. "I'd like to play professional ball, but if I can't I'd like some type of career in business."