Barrett O'Neill was nearing the end of his unofficial visit to the University of Virginia yesterday morning when he met with the Cavaliers' pitching coach Karl Kuhn and was offered a scholarship.

It didn't take long for him to make up his mind -- 15 minutes later, the Ashland resident verbally committed to the Cavs' program over his other offer, Boston College, and interest from Clemson and Vanderbilt.

O'Neill, who reclassified as a junior this year at Dexter after transferring from Ashland High, is the second player in the state from the 2011 class to make a baseball commitment. His teammate, John Magliosi, is committed to Florida.

"The school for one, it's the best public university in the country," O'Neill said tonight via cell phone. "You look at the school and the baseball program, ranked sixth in the country at the end of the season...coach Kuhn's a great pitching coach. I really had a gut that this was the right place for me, and I didn't want to fight that."

O'Neill will come to the Charlottesville, Va. campus as a pitcher, though he only saw a few starts during the high school season due to injury. Still, scouts raved about his potential. He turned a few heads this summer during impressive showings at the Metrodome and at the 18-and-Under World Wood Bat Assoc. Championships, in East Cobb, Ga., both with the East Cobb Braves traveling squad.

One National League Scout told me last April he thought O'Neill would reach 90 miles per hour on his fastball by the end of the high school season. Last weekend, at a camp at UVA, O'Neill topped out at 92; along the way, he says his changeup has come along well, too.