On the ball
James River High pitcher makes Aflac's All-American Team
By Lynn Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Daniel Marrs, a senior at James River High School, is one step closer to being drafted by the majors with his selection to the Aflac All-American Team.

James River High School's rising senior Daniel Marrs has associated himself with some extremely elite company. Marrs is one of only 38 high school baseball players from across the country to be selected for the Fifth Annual Aflac All-American Team. He and his fellow All-Americans will travel to San Diego, Ca. to participate in the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic East-West Game on Aug. 11.

Just how elite is the company Marrs will be keeping? In the first four years, 114 of the Aflac All-American selections have been drafted by Major League Baseball. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 squads put 29 players each into the first draft round including the No. 1 overall picks in 2004 (Matt Bush) and 2005 (Justin Upton).

Remarkably, Marrs was selected before his junior year baseball season even began and, on the surface, with a mediocre 5-3 sophomore record. Due to injury, his junior record was only 5-1 with a 1.87 earned run average. Marrs pitched only 41 innings and did not even pitch in the AAA State Championship game won by James River. That fact may just open the door a crack toward revealing how special this young man is.

Marrs suffered through two bouts of tendonitis in his throwing shoulder that sidelined him for a total of four weeks during his junior season. He was near the end of the second occurrence during the state finals against Deep Run High School and was the pitcher of choice for James River Head Coach Pete Schumacher.

"He could have pitched, but Daniel came to us and let us know he wasn't 100 percent. Most kid's egos wouldn't let them do that, but Daniel is a good teammate," recalls Schumacher. "He's been a great teammate even when he's not on the field."

But character alone does not make an All-American. "Daniel is blessed with a right arm that delivers a 92-95 mile per hour fast ball," explains Schumacher. Add to that "an improvement on locating his pitches, a better change up and curve ball, and improved poise on the mound this year," says Schumacher, and more of an All-American profile emerges.

Aflac sponsors the All-Americans, but the selections are made through a cooperative partnership with Baseball America Magazine and the pro scouts of the Perfect Game Prep Scouting Service. Through participation in AAU summer sessions, and attending camps and Perfect Game scouting events, Marrs and other top flight prospects got noticed and evaluated. A 95 mile per hour fastball that can be thrown to a spot will always get the attention of Major League talent evaluators. (Goochland County's Justin Verlander didn't throw but 92 in high school, but the Detroit Tigers took him in the first draft round out of Old Dominion University.)

Marrs is aware that he is special. "Velocity and mental toughness are my greatest strengths. I can throw the ball by you and just know you are not going to hit it," he says. Marrs also offers up an effective curve ball and a split finger fastball at a mitt popping 85-86 miles per hour.

Schumacher adds, "He caries himself well. He is confident without being cocky."

But can he keep his feet on the ground? Like Verlander, Marrs has made a commitment to college. Wake Forest University got the nod before his junior year. "I liked the atmosphere of the small school," explains Marrs.

And how does he see his future in baseball? "Ten years from now hopefully I'll be in the majors, and I'll have my MBA."

But for now, the 17 year old is still busy being a teenager. "My mom tells me I need to help more with the yard work. My dad tells me everything I did wrong in my last outing," he says.

And what does he tell himself? "Just keep working."