Signing: Josh Wirsu, Harlem, to Fordham University

Josh Wirsu enjoys hitting, but admits he's not as proficient at it as he'd like to be.

//

Harlem High School coach Jimmie Lewis, though, says the senior is selling himself short.

"We're counting on him coming through with the bat," he said. "He can hit the baseball."

Whatever the case, Wirsu is a pitcher at heart. And he'll be able to focus entirely on pitching soon.

On Tuesday, Wirsu signed a letter-of-intent to play baseball at Fordham University in New York. That means he won't be counted on to hit, making pitching a full-time endeavor. While he likes hitting, Wirsu said it will be nice to have a singular focus.

"It kind of clears the mind," Wirsu said of the thought of not being in the batting order while pitching.

One might expect quite a transition period in going from a small town in Georgia to a university in New York that accommodates 15,000 students, not to mention going from a Class AA-sized high school to a college Division-I baseball program.

However, if Wirsu's initial visit to the campus is any indication, he believes he'll be right at home.

"The players there are really nice," he said. "They accepted me, didn't push me away. They pretty much helped me fit in.

"They're all laid-back, and I consider myself a laid-back person."Wirsu and Fordham connected while he was playing this past summer in Jupiter, Fla.

After impressing at a University of Miami camp, he was selected to play with the Florida Legends, a Chicago White Sox Scout Team. That led to him playing in Jupiter, where he caught the eye of Fordham coaches.

He visited Fordham as well as UNC Asheville before making his final decision.

"It's beautiful," Wirsu said of the Fordham campus. "It's the traditional college, a big college. ... Leaves are falling off the trees, there's a stone cathedral. It's really nice.

"And the food up there is great."

Wirsu came on strong late last season as a junior, complementing now-graduated senior Derek Beasley. In addition, Wirsu pitched Lewis' 600th victory.

"I take a lot of pride in that," he said.