:dancingpaKentucky :dancingpa

:dancingpa

Received a call from Rich on my way home tonight, and he told me the great news! Luke received a very, very good offer from UK and he gave them his verbal commitment sometime today. Congrats to Luke and it will be a pleasure to drive down to Lexington to watch him continue to play baseball at the next level!

Congratulations and good sign, by Henderson.

Great. ColonelCrazy, how about my timing.

That's a big get for the new coach.

 

It also makes it easier for the family.

 

Nice to see him and Farris together.

Congrats to Luke and the Maile clan.

Where does Maile project in the draft?

Was LSU recruiting him?

Where does Maile project in the draft?

Was LSU recruiting him?

 

LSU was indeed recruiting him. Please read the below E-mail that was sent to me by Rich Maile (I posted this originally in the Basketball thread)!

 

 

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Received the following from Rich Maile from a E-mail that I sent to him while he was with Luke in California about this thread! I did ask and did receive permission from Rich to post it here!

 

 

Theoldguy,

 

I read the posts you referred to on Bluegrass...thought I'd let you clear up

a couple things if you want:

 

Luke and the Maile family have no animosity toward Coach Listerman for

Dick's leaving. I personally feel that he lost a great assistant in Ryan, and another asst I thought brought a lot to the program in Dick. I wish

they could have stayed and been part simply because the kids enjoyed them and I thought they brought a lot to the table, BUT, Mike is the head coach and has every right to run the program as he sees fit. There is no

drama on my end. Luke absolutely didn't care whether Dick was there or

not...that has nothing to do with his decision. It's Mike's program and while I may disagree with some things, I respect the fact that he's the guy in charge and he needs to do what he sees fit. With that said, Luke does have a lot on his plate and he will make a decision that he feels is is the best decision for him at this point.

 

Second, the west coast thing was simply the Area Code Games. It was a

wonderful experience and he did well. I think he was 3 for 7 with 2 walks and 1 hbp; he caught the ball and threw very well. He needs a lot of

work on both hitting and catching. This event is an honor, and in some ways a preview of the 09 draft but only to the extent that the kids invited are being watched, (along with a lot of others who weren't there). However, anyone who declares a draft spot or offer occurred is wrong. No one will know, including Luke, whether or not he will be drafted at all much less what selection, until the day of the draft. It has a lot to do with sign ability and that is somewhat of a mystery for both sides. They simply tell us that...(like thousands of other kids)...Luke is on the radar and that his projection for the future is strong, but like I said, he has a long way to

go,

 

The college decision is the focus at this point, and he has talked to many,

many schools. He hopes to make a decision soon. This process is also not exactly how people see it. Baseball money is hard to come by, almost no one offers 'full rides'. (LSU, BTW had zero full rides on the roster this year's team that made the CWS). So the process includes analysis of many things like academics, campuses, distance from home, coaching staffs, team culture, facilities, money offered, development, conferences, existing rosters, living conditions, food, and many more. Sometimes the kid just feels better about a certain staff and that plays in there also. I

don't want to detail what schools are in the mix at this point, but he is very grateful to have some wonderful opportunities, he is humbled and

very appreciative for the attention he has received and he will work hard to make sure he earns and re-earns these opportunities he has been given every day in the classroom and on the field.

 

I am confident that whatever he decides will be the right decision as there

are a lot of great schools and programs out there. I'll let you know as soon as he makes a commitment public.

 

Thank you for sharing this exciting experience with us. I appreciate your

sincere support and friendship.

 

Rich

 

So there it is straight from the source........

 

I wrote the below to Rich in asking his permission to post his E-mail;

 

Good luck to Luke and personally I hope he attends a school close by, as I really would like to keep watching him play. He and his game have grown so much from that first appearance behind the plate that I watched him play three short years ago at CovCath. You really need to enjoy this his senior year; as far to soon (trust me I know first hand) he will be gone, and you will wonder where all the time went.

A great pickup for Henderson to get the recruiting ball rolling. He and Cohen are two totally different types of coaches but Henderson is great with the players. I hope Maile makes it to Lexington as I believe he would excel on a very high level. That being said, I say he's a very high draft pick and we'll see if he actually makes it to Lex.

Congrats to Luke Maile for selecting Kentucky. The program should continue to compete at the highest level. SEC baseball is tough and Luke has the tools to be successful. Many baseball athletes from UK get drafted and have the opportunity to compete in the pros. It is nice to see that the top players are staying in state and not going south to play.

Old Guy - Was Luke being recruited for a position? I was told over the summer that Ferris would still like to get behind the plate at UK, even though he committed with OF in mind.

Old Guy - Was Luke being recruited for a position? I was told over the summer that Ferris would still like to get behind the plate at UK, even though he committed with OF in mind.

 

Luke is being recruited as a catcher. There are about four catchers that he feels he can compete against for the job.

Good news. If he does play for the Cats, I'll make some trips down to Lexington.

Good news. If he does play for the Cats, I'll make some trips down to Lexington.

 

If you haven't been, its a great place to watch a game.

Old Guy - Was Luke being recruited for a position? I was told over the summer that Ferris would still like to get behind the plate at UK, even though he committed with OF in mind.

 

Love to watch the young man play, but I don't think he has caught anywhere else than in a HS game in the last two years. IMO, Maile is a better Catcher than Farris!

 

Also, IMO he (Farris) would make a great second baseman at the next level.

Love to watch the young man play, but I don't think he has caught anywhere else than in a HS game in the last two years. IMO, Maile is a better Catcher than Farris!

 

Also, IMO he (Farris) would make a great second baseman at the next level.

 

TOG, although fast and very athletic I cannot see him playing any 2nd base at all. There are way too many good infielders out there for him to just hop in and start playing 2nd base. I believe it's either the outfield, improving his catching game to the next level, or DH, I'm sorry.