If you're having a busy week, consider Andrew Dobies' daily planner.
The North Allegheny graduate is one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's top pitchers, and is balancing his final exams as an American Politics major at the University of Virginia.
"I'm swamped with finals right now," he said. "I have finals or papers due every day this week, and I have to pitch against Florida State on Friday. That doesn't help."
Dobies and Seneca Valley graduate Zach Jackson of Texas A&M will need to find time next month for another appointment -- to sign on the dotted line.
The two former standout left-handers from the WPIAL Class of 2001 are expected to go somewhere in the first three rounds of the First-Year Player Draft on June 7-9.
So, while Pine-Richland catcher Neil Walker is tabbed as a likely first-rounder, a pair of former WPIAL Section 5-AAA aces -- who were major-league afterthoughts coming out of high school -- won't be far behind.
Jackson is a 6-foot-5, 225-pound left-hander who throws in the low 90s, and tossed a no-hitter this season with former president George H. Bush in attendance. He is one of the nation's most coveted collegiate lefties.
Dobies is a 6-1, 190-pound left-hander who throws in the high 80s to low 90s and opened pro scouts' eyes by embarrassing wooden-bat hitters this past summer in the Valley Baseball League.
"Jackson is a great strike thrower and with his frame, the (second round) seems like a really solid place for him," said Will Kimmey, the collegiate editor for Baseball America. "Dobies should go in the late second or third round. He doesn't throw quite as hard (as Jackson), but he cuts the ball really well. It screams that he could be a great left-handed reliever."
Dobies was an all-state pitcher at North Allegheny and starred for the Tigers' 2000 PIAA Class AAA champion. But no major-league teams bothered calling Dobies, who had a scholarship to UVA and was a long-shot to sign as a late-round draft pick.
Now, Dobies is 6-1 with a conference-best 2.13 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 20 walks in 76 innings. The Cavaliers (36-9) are ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation, the loftiest spot in the program's history.
"He's got exactly what (pro scouts) are looking for," UVA first-year coach Brian O'Connor said. "He throws 91-92. He's left-handed. He has excellent control. He's a bulldog."
Three years ago, Jackson was picked in the 50th round by the Chicago White Sox -- 1,482th out of 1,485 players -- after saying he wanted big money to skip college. Jackson, who transferred from Louisville last summer, won't wait nearly as long this spring.
He tossed two-hitter Saturday in a 4-2 victory at Nebraska. He struck out 11 and walked none to move his record to 9-3 with a 3.43 ERA. Jackson ranks among the Big 12 leaders in wins, complete games (four), shutouts (two) and strikeouts (88).
In his first start at No. 14-ranked Texas A&M (35-14), Jackson threw a no-hitter, blanking Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 15-0, in a Valentine's Day masterpiece. Former President Bush threw out the first pitch.
"I've never been so nervous in my entire life," Jackson said.
Neither Dobies nor Jackson was drawing much attention this time last year. But both learned the same new pitch -- a cut fastball/slider -- and excelled in their respective wooden-bat leagues. Dobies struck out 92 and walked eight in 56 innings for the Staunton (Va.) Braves, and was ranked among the top pitching prosects in the Valley Baseball League. Dobies was 6-5 with a 5.12 ERA in his first two seasons at Virginia, but learned a cut-fastball by accident last year and it has developed into his best pitch.
"I was fooling around in the outfield, playing catch with one of the guys on the team," Dobies said. "I was screwing around with my grips and it moved pretty good. It's my strikeout pitch."
While Dobies was starring in Staunton, Jackson was up the coast dominating the Cape Cod League. He was 6-0 with a 1.88 ERA for the Hyannis Mets and was ranked the 16th-best pro prospect at the prestigious summer league.
Working with A&M pitching coach Jim Lawler, Jackson boosted his fastball from 88-90 mph to 93 mph and added a slider to replace an inadequate curveball.
"I never really had any feel for my curveball. It was real loopy and slow," Jackson said. "With the slider, I'm able to spot the fastball and throw the slider from the same arm slot. That's what was holding me back from taking it to the next level."
Last year, Texas A&M had three pitchers taken in a 10-pick span of the second round. Lawler said Jackson is "in the same arena as those guys."
"He's the complete package," Lawler said. "As long as he has the heart and the desire -- and I know he has that -- and he stays healthy, he has a lot of things going in his favor."
