With every pitch during his stay in McAlester, Okla., Gainesville's David Gonzalez seems to be improving his pitching stock in the eyes of college scouts.
Gonzalez, a rising senior right-hander for the Red Elephants, has seen his college offers go through the roof with the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State, to name a few, all offering full scholarships based off his performance since the school year ended.
What did Gonzalez do to attract so much attention? He's quickly added three miles per hour to his already strong fastball, including hitting 95 on the gun six times during three innings of work against Team Canada last Friday in the Sunbelt Classic.
He started the game and pitched three innings that day and allowed two earned runs and only one walk. Team Georgia had a 10-3 lead when Gonzalez left the game, but the team couldn't hold on for the win once he left the mound.
"David's doing a great job," said Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp, who is on the Team Georgia coaching staff led by Red Elephants athletic director Wayne Vickery. "We're really proud of him."
Gonzalez was chosen by committee as one of the Top 20 Class of 2012 prospects to fill the roster of Team Georgia. He's one of five pitchers on the team, along with Buford High left-hander Sam Clay.
Gonzalez started things strong when he pitched an inning in a scrimmage for Team Georgia members at Mill Creek High, where he hit 95 on the radar gun for the first time.
With all the attention Gonzalez was about to receive from college scouts who descended on Oklahoma for the Sunbelt Classic, he was ready to show them what he had.
He already knew what the scene was going to be like at this showcase for rising seniors by talking with kids who were on the team last season, including Thomson's Nick Rau.
"It's like the Cape Cod League," Gonzalez said, referring to the 127-year-old summer collegiate league. "We're all staying with host families that all have big hearts to take us in to let us stay with them.
"It's just an awesome experience."
Gonzalez said that pitching in the Sunbelt Classic is very different than a regular high school game. First of all, there's an endless amount of radar guns crowded behind the backstop to track every pitch.
Pitchers also get to track themselves with a radar gun display on the home team's dugout so Gonzalez knows what he's throwing without even having to ask.
Gonzalez added that he's started getting a lot of attention from coaches at Clemson, South Carolina and Miami, among others.
He says that he prepared for this opportunity at the Sunbelt Classic by staying focused on his stretch techniques to keep his arm limber on a daily basis.
"I feel really good about how I've pitched," Gonzalez said. "I know what a good opportunity this is and I've had all four of my pitches working well."
Kemp says this experience for Gonzalez is an appropriate precursor to what every appearance of his will look like next year when he toes the rubber: There will be radar guns crowding the area behind the backstop.
On top of that, Gonzalez is starting to get pro attention, but he knows the draft process is totally subjective to scouts' opinion of his talents.
Already, Gonzalez has received questionnaires from two pro clubs to learn more about him.
"I get chills just thinking about the possibility of getting drafted," Gonzalez said. "That's always been my dream.
"But I'm not satisfied with where I'm at right now."