Notre Dame, Three Rivers alum commits to Jacksonville State

It was a shot in the dark.

In his contact list, Notre Dame alum Austin Gast had the phone number of Steve Bieser, the former Missouri and Southeast Missouri baseball coach who was recently hired as the Jacksonville State skipper.

One text initiate the process that led him to join the Gamecocks.

"I just decided to give it a shot and text him and see what would happen," Gast said. "I had other offers, but after talking with Coach Bieser and seeing the facilities and campus, I knew Jacksonville State was where I wanted to go."

Gast spent the last two years as a relief pitcher in Three Rivers. The junior college sophomore struck out 32 batters in 21.1 innings, but there was no path to the next level after moving on.

It wasn't until he pitched for the Thrillville Thrillbillies of the Prospect League that he was able to build a recruiting profile after reaching peak velocity on his fastball.

"I had no offers going into this summer with the Thrillbillies," Gast said. "Performing on the mound in the Prospect League was huge in my recruiting process."

Gast has made 10 appearances so far this summer, with 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched. After displaying the ability to strike out junior college batters for two years, he has also proven to get outs against hitters from Division 1 programs.

"I always knew I had the potential to pitch at that level," Gast said. "I always believed in myself no matter what, and it was just a matter of performing to my best ability and staying healthy."

The Thrillbillies are clearly leading the Prairie Land Division second-half standings with a 10-3 record after going 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Cape Catfish already won the first-half division title and are set for the playoffs.