Baseball Hello: Karl Kauffmann

Just a day after gaining a big commit from an in-state southpaw in the 2015 class, Collin Goslin, the Michigan baseball staff this afternoon got more good news, adding the top in-state player in the 2016 class to its recruiting haul: Karl Kauffmann, a 6-1, 180-lb. right-handed pitcher out of Brother Rice H.S. Not only the #1 player in the state, Kauffmann is also ranked #6 overall in Prep Baseball Report's 2016 rankings for their 10-state region.

Here's what PBR had to say about him in an October piece about top players in each state:

A 6-foot-1, 180-pound righty that already sits in the mid 80s. Kaufmann, ranked sixth overall, pitches with poise, a smooth delivery and easy arm action. He has been up to 87 and shown an improved breaking ball this summer with tighter spin. It sits 73-75 now. He also shows smooth actions in the infield and good bat speed, but looks like more of an asset on the mound at this time. He has already received interest from nearby schools like Michigan and Michigan State, but is also on North Carolina’s radar.

In addition to North Carolina and MSU, he had also attracted the attention of Vanderbilt, indicating how highly sought after he was. Needless to say, the commitment of Kauffmann amounts to a stellar start to Michigan's 2016 class. It also shows a continued tapping of the Brother Rice pipeline, with two other future Warriors-turned-Wolverines upcoming: 2014 signee Ty Kiafoulis and 2015 commit Nick Plummer.

photo of Kauffmann from PBR profile page