CUMBERLAND — Bishop Walsh pitcher Kevin Myers won’t begin his senior year of high school for two more months.

But he’s already got his college plans mapped out, as the right-hander has made a verbal commitment to continue his baseball career at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

Myers led Bishop Walsh in just about every statistical category on the mound and at the plate, and committed to Purdue after being recruited by Boilermakers assistant coach Ryan Sawyers, a former area standout and pitcher on the 1997 Allegany College team that played in the JUCO World Series.

“I’ve always wanted to play in a big conference, and the Big 10 is very interesting to me,’’ said Myers. “That’s what attracted me first. And with Ryan Sawyers being from Rawlings, that’s pretty cool, having a local connection to him.

“Purdue is a team that’s on the rise. They recruited a lot of talented players across the country and I’m very excited about that. I visited the campus, and it’s huge. West Lafayette is a great town and I think it will be a very good fit.”

Something else that is a very good fit is Myers, with a baseball, on the mound. Last year, as a junior, he pitched 38 1-3 innings, walked only 13 and struck out 76 — an average of 13.8 strikeouts per seven-inning game. BW struggled as a team with a 5-17 record, but Myers had three of the wins and a 2.92 earned run average.

He also hit .444, going 28-for-63 with 19 runs, five doubles, two home runs and 27 RBIs.

Myers attended a Showcase Camp in Shepherdstown, W.Va., last December. He said Sawyers saw him pitch there, asked him to come to Purdue for a visit and a basketball game, and received a scholarship offer that night. He accepted it in a phone call a few days ago.

Sawyers likely saw in Myers what many have seen for a number of years now.

Paul Ackerman, an assistant coach for the Fort Cumberland Junior American Legion team that Myers played for, knows baseball inside and out. He was a catcher and played college baseball at Allegany College and Davis & Elkins, coached at West Virginia University, and played in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system.

“Kevin is as legitimate of a right-handed pitcher that I’ve seen around here for a long time,” said Ackerman. “If he doesn’t get hurt, I think he’s got a chance, I really do, at playing professionally.

“He pitches. He does not throw,” Ackerman added. “He’s smart, and processes hitters and tries to exploit their weaknesses. He really has a feel of how to process a game as a pitcher. And that’s hard for a pitcher at such a young age. A lot of kids fall in love with certain pitches, and a lot will just cut it loose with sort of an idea of whatever happens, happens.”

As a sophomore, Myers was first-team All-Area and had a 4-3 record, a 2.52 ERA and 14 walks and 81 strikeouts in 51 1-3 innings, while also finishing fifth in the area in hitting with a .466 batting average.

In his last two seasons at BW, he’s worked 89 2-3 innings, walked 27 and struck out 157, with a 2.65 ERA.

Myers throws a fast ball clocked in the mid 80s, slider, curve and changeup. He said his favorite pitch is his slider, a pitch he said Sawyers is big on.

Ackerman recalled a Legion game last year against Berkeley County when a scout had Myers’ fast ball clocked in the 80s from the first inning to the last. He allowed only an infield single that day.

“He literally blew the ball by them that day, a good team of players from Berkeley Springs, Martinsburg and Musselman,’’ Ackerman said. “He has a good, sharp breaking pitch, and it’s impressive. He works quick, is very smooth and doesn’t show you the ball much. I’m sure it seems like it’s on top of you before you know it.”

Ackerman has worked with Myers for two years in the Legion program, including fall baseball.

“He’s a super kid, pays attention to detail, constantly asks questions and constantly wants extra work and asks what he can do to improve.”

By signing early, Myers will have a few less things to worry about as a high school senior.

“It will be less stressful and I can focus on getting better and not have to worry about calling schools or camps and stuff like that,’’ he said. “I know I have to get bigger and stronger and work more in the weight room. I want to prepare myself for a higher level (of baseball), and for a more demanding lifestyle with school. I just want to prepare myself for the real world.”

Purdue was 37-20 overall and third in the Big 10 with a 14-10 record last year.

A verbal commitment, according to ncaa.org, is the phrase used to describe a college-bound student-athlete’s commitment to a school before he is able to sign a National Letter of Intent. A college-bound student athlete can announce a verbal commitment at any time. While verbal commitments have become popular, they are not binding on either the college-bound student-athlete or the school.

Mike Mathews is a Cumberland Times-News sportswriter. Write to him at mmathews@times-news.com