EAST JORDAN — As a three-sport standout at East Jordan, Korbyn Russell has plenty on his mind from one season to the next.
The last thing he wanted to worry about over the course of his senior year was where he would be competing after graduation and which schools he was attracting.
Luckily for Russell, he doesn’t have to do that.
Russell picked up just the baseball offer he was hoping for this summer and quickly made his intentions known, verbally committing to Michigan State University.
“About a month ago, MSU came up to watch me throw a bullpen and then they took me on a visit,” Russell said. “I liked the culture and their program. When they gave me the offer, it didn’t take long.”
While he had been in contact with other Division I level programs, MSU was the first to put in some legwork for the 6-foot-2, 200-pound lefty.
“I would say it’s surprising that they were the first ones to contact me,” he said.
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This past season, Russell entered the Michigan High School Athletic Association record books, ranking third all-time for strikeouts per seven innings. He closed the 2024 season with 157 strikeouts in only 70 1/3 innings pitched.
Surprising to Russell? More like all according to plan.
“I’d say I was shooting for somewhere right in there,” he said.
Batters hit just .149 against him this season, while he also maintained a 1.99 ERA. At the plate, Russell then hit .396 with 12 doubles and four homers.
It was a big jump up from one year to the next for Russell, though he didn’t feel like he was in it alone, knowing how much he and catcher Ryder Malpass worked together and the amount of people he had in his corner.
“I’d give credit to Coach (Adam Grybauskas), my parents and my catcher just pushing me,” Russell said. “That’s what got me to where I am.”
His efforts across all three sports – football, basketball and baseball – brought all-conference recognition in each, along with second team all-state honors as a pitcher.
He’s been busy this summer putting work into all three, between 7-on-7 competitions while getting ready for the fall football season as the Red Devils' quarterback, to travel ball for baseball and basketball.
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It all likely hasn’t brought much stress for Russell, though, not with his next home already picked out.
“I would say so,” he added. “It’s more comforting knowing where I’m going after high school.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Big Ten baseball program the next stop for East Jordan's Russell
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