Black commits to Wake Forest

By Jose Negron

jnegron@yourmvi.com

When Mark Black wasn’t selected in this year’s five-round Major League Baseball Draft, the former Serra Catholic standout decided to switch up his future plans.

Black, who had his senior season wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, opted this summer to continue his baseball career at Chipola College, a premier junior college program in Marianna, Fla. He initially planned to attend Division I St. John’s University after committing prior to his sophomore season at Serra.

“This year has definitely been a crazy one,” said Black, a two-time Mon Valley Independent-Aul Bat Co. Player of the Year. “Having my senior high school season canceled was obviously disappointing. Then, once the draft was shortened to five rounds and I ended up not being selected, I figured it was in my best interest to go to Chipola since it allowed me to be eligible for the upcoming 2021 draft as well as be able to attend a four-year university if I chose to.”    

If Black isn’t taken in the 2021 MLB Draft, he has yet another backup plan in place.

The power-hitting catcher announced Sunday he has committed to continue his academic and baseball careers at Wake Forest University beginning in 2021-22.

Black, who will still compete for Chipola this spring, will play for veteran head coach Tom Walter, who helped lead the Demon Deacons to a 10-8 record this past spring before the pandemic canceled the remainder of the season. In 2019, Wake Forest went 31-26 overall and 14-16 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.                      

“It is definitely comforting knowing that if I do not get drafted after this season, I get to attend Wake Forest next year,” said Black, who spoke with a number of Division I schools and strongly considered Pitt and Gardner-Webb before ultimately choosing Wake Forest.

“Wake Forest’s top-of-the-line player development facility was a big sell to me. Coach Walter had watched a lot of video on me and had ideas of how they could utilize their player development facilities to improve my catching. I like the plan he has for me as it will give me the best opportunity to stick behind the plate.”

Wake Forest Associate Head Coach Bill Cilento also played a big role in recruiting Black, who played for Cilento while taking part in USA Baseball’s 17U National Team Development Program in 2019.

“I really like the way he coaches and his offensive philosophy,” Black said of Cilento, who primarily works with Wake Forest hitters and infielders. “The relationship I built with him going back to the NTDP was a huge factor in my decision.”

While Black wasn’t able to take the field for his senior season at Serra Catholic, he still made quite an impact in his three years with the program, setting school records with 24 career home runs, 127 RBIs, 101 runs scored and 115 hits.

During his final high school season in 2019, Black hit .507 with a WPIAL-leading 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. He also helped lead the Eagles to the WPIAL and PIAA championship games.

One of the best players to ever come out of Serra Catholic, Black has always had MLB aspirations.

And he believes playing at Chipola and Wake Forest will help him achieve his ultimate goal of one day playing professional baseball.

“Both Chipola and Wake Forest have a rich history of producing big-league-caliber players,” Black said. “I have been fortunate enough to have some great coaches throughout my life. At Chipola, Coach (Jeff) Johnson has been developing professional talent for close to 25 years and my catching coach, Ryan Fineman, has been a huge help to me as far as developing my catching.

“Coach Walter and Coach Cilento place a huge emphasis on player development, too, and their results show.”

Black has been hard at work this fall in preparation for the upcoming spring season with the Indians.

After a crazy year full of change, he hopes to help Chipola win a national championship before eventually either beginning his professional career or moving on to compete for the Demon Deacons in the ACC.

“It has definitely been a roller coaster this past year,” Black said, “but I’m happy with the decisions I’ve made and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”