Harrer signs for OSU baseball

All-around athlete Justin Harrer has signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Oregon State University (OSU) in 2015. The Outlaw is excited to have the opportunity to play at the collegiate level.

Harrer has been a three-sport athlete for the Outlaws since he was a freshman. He excelled in soccer, basketball, and baseball. He has numerous awards to his credit, including being named a three-time first-team all-leaguer in soccer and the 2014 Player of the Year. In baseball, he was a first-team pick his freshman, sophomore, and junior years; and was named first-team all-state as a sophomore and a second-team all-state selection last year.

Harrer was named Sisters High School's Athlete of the Year in 2013.

Baseball has always been at the top of his list, and Justin has worked tirelessly on improving and being competitive in the sport.

"I really played soccer and basketball more for fun and to be with my friends," said Harrer. "Baseball is where I've always put my focus."

Justin Harrer started playing baseball when he was one year old, in a diaper, hitting the ball off the tee. The love of the game started there and hasn't stopped.

Justin recalls watching the World Series with his grandma when he was just a little boy. Harrer told The Nugget that at that point he really became interested in baseball as a sport and not just playtime with a ball and a bat in the backyard.

Harrer tried out and was selected to play for a team out of Washington called Team Northwest (TN). The elite squad is comprised of stellar players from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Harrer started playing for TN the summer after his freshman year in high school, and made a trip back east for a tournament. Harrer joined teammates from TN in North Carolina and played in the USA Baseball Nation Identification Series (USA Baseball NIS) where he played both in the infield and outfield.

"It was the first time I'd traveled alone to the East Coast, and it was a big deal," said Harrer. "It was my first exposure to see such a high level of play from athletes around the country. It was a starting point for me to make the decision to really strive and work towards playing Division 1 baseball. So, it became a routine for me to finish up with Outlaws baseball and then spend my summers playing for TN."

The following summer, Team Northwest played in three tournaments in Arizona.

"I'd sent emails to approximately 15 schools and given them my number, the team I was playing for, and the time of day we'd be playing a game," said Harrer. "These events are huge scouting exposures and I was hoping I'd be noticed. OSU was at the top of my list. I like the location, and OSU has one of the top baseball programs in the country."

Harrer didn't know it at the time, but scouts from OSU were in attendance and were taking at look at him. The OSU coaching staff was unable to approach Justin at the time due to strict NCAA rules regarding contact between coaches and players.

Justin sent follow-up emails at summer's end and got a response from OSU stating they'd seen him play and liked what they saw.

From that point on, Harrer was in constant communication with Pat Bailey, OSU assistant coach and recruiting co-coordinator. Harrer would let him know the tournaments he'd be at so they could attend and further evaluate him.

Last spring, Justin made an unofficial visit to the OSU campus, toured the facilities, met with the players on the baseball team, watched practice, and met with Head Coach Pat Casey and assistant coach Bailey. Discussions included what Harrer would need to do in order to play for the Beavers and what positions the coaching staff would need for the 2015 class.

When summer hit, Harrer and teammates from TN played in several tournaments in Arizona and also the Perfect Game National World Series in Jupiter, Florida.

"The tournament in Florida was the biggest I'd ever played in," the Outlaw recalled. "It had the biggest number of teams and the best players in the nation. I faced Brady Aiken, who was the first overall pick of the 2014 MLB Draft. It was the first time I saw an over-95 mph pitcher. It honestly has a different sound. I watched the first two pitches for strikes without even thinking about swinging. I struck-out the first time and then I was able to hit the ball up the middle, just to get robbed by a diving play by the shortstop."

In addition to the tournament with TN, Harrer attended an OSU Prospect Camp, where coaches meet players and are able to talk with them and evaluate their performance. Harrer had a great showing at both outfield and shortstop.

"They definitely said they liked the progression they'd seen in me as an athlete and baseball player and told me to keep working hard," said Harrer. "A little later, I got a call from Pat Bailey, who told me they were interested in me as a potential player for their 2015 recruits."

Harrer received an offer from OSU by mid-summer and went to OSU for a meeting.

"They basically said they wanted me to play and sign a letter of intent within the signing period of November 12-19," said Harrer. "I decided then that's where I wanted to attend."

Harrer told The Nugget the main reason he decided on OSU was because of their coaching staff.

"I really liked their coaching staff, particularly Pat Bailey," he said. "I've really developed a strong relationship with him over the past two years and he's really been honest and up-front with me. He told me what I needed to do and where I was at in their recruit process.

"And, I like the location. I really like the state of Oregon and the campus is only an hour away from surfing and an hour from skiing."

Harrer will head to OSU in August. Justin was told that he will be seen as an outfielder because of his speed, but that he also has the tools to compete at infield positions.

Sisters High School Coach Steve Hodges recognized Justin's potential from the very beginning.

"I identified Justin early on as a player who could move on and play at the next level," stated Hodges. "He's an incredible athlete that has a lot of attributes to offer. The first criteria college coaches are looking for is speed, and Justin's got very good speed. They are also looking for arm strength, and if a player can hit a college-level pitcher. Justin has the arm strength and he can hit. He's very coachable and wants to get better. He's progressed nicely in these last three years at Sisters and going into his final season."