Leavenworth pitcher Tommy Barnhouse commits to Wichita State baseball

Leavenworth pitcher Tommy Barnhouse gave Wichita State a non-binding commitment on Tuesday, giving the Shockers five from the class of 2016.

Barnhouse (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) said WSU’s interest in him started in earnest earlier this summer at a tournament in Topeka. Two weeks later, he pitched in a tournament at Eck Stadium and soon had a scholarship offer. He committed soon after.

“The baseball program is pretty historical,” he said. “Coach (Brent) Kemnitz is a legendary pitching coach and I had a pretty good connection with him and (coach Todd Butler).”

Barnhouse said he also considered West Virginia, Louisiana Tech and Kansas State.

He said he throws 89 to 91 mph, touching 93, and also relies on a changeup, slider and curveball.

WSU also has commitments from shortstop Alex Jackson, of Flower Mound Marcus (Texas), and pitchers Joe Dittmar of Richmond-Burton (Ill.), lefty Nathan Hawkins of Sunnyvale (Texas) and Preston Snavely of Fort Collins (Colo.).

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Leavenworth pitcher Tommy Barnhouse commits to Wichita State baseball."