Diamond in the rough: Two-sport athlete Torrence makes bid for starting role at Ohio State.
By Todd Porter
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Aug 17, 2009
AP / Aaron J. Latham
Ohio State's Devon Torrence carries the ball in a scrimmage during a 2008 team practice in preparation for the Fiesta Bowl.
COLUMBUS ? .Whether football or baseball is Devon Torrence?s first love always did depend on the calendar. But football may be inching slightly ahead.
The Canton South High School graduate has juggled his time as a minor league baseball player in the Houston Astros organization and an athlete on Ohio State University?s football team. Buckeyes Head Coach Jim Tressel made a commitment to Torrence, and has settled on him as a defensive back.
Torrence reciprocated this summer.
He didn?t play baseball.
Instead the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder stayed in Columbus and took classes. He worked out with teammates. He studied to get a better understanding of Ohio State?s defensive schemes. He?s a junior running out of football time to make an impact.
Instead of hitting baseballs, Torrence has a good shot at hitting wide receivers as a starting cornerback for the Buckeyes this fall.
?I benefited a lot by staying here,? Torrence said. ?I?m in shape. I passed the gasser test for the first time. I?ve got the defense down pat. Now it?s about getting out there and playing football, making plays and building my confidence.?
Coming out of South, Torrence was one of the best two-sport athletes in Stark County history. He signed a scholarship with OSU and was drafted by the Astros. NCAA rules permit an athlete to be professional in one sport and an amateur in another.
Tressel and the Astros agreed to allow him to chase his baseball dream, but Ohio State always had him during the season and for spring football. For the last two years, Torrence would leave Columbus in May and play two months in the Astros organization.
Last year he hit .151, but that batting average came as a result of the Astros trying to groom him to be a switch hitter.
?In high school, I mainly hit right-handed, but whenever I?d go to showcases, I?d hit left-handed,? Torrence said. ?What happened was, the Astros found out I could switch hit and made me hit from the left side. It?s a lot harder to hit 93, 94 miles per hour pitches from the left side when you?ve never done that.
?I was only there for six weeks, so the last two years I played 12 weeks of baseball and most of the guys have played two full seasons. It was a big jump, and it was difficult.?
Now Torrence finds himself, perhaps with a bit of an edge, competing for a starting cornerback position.
He and Andre Amos are in a heated battle for the position opposite Chimdi Chekwa.
Torrence had a real solid month of spring practice, so much so it helped make a difficult decision slightly easier.
?I think my chances are good,? Torrence said. ?This spring was a momentum booster.?
JT's quote, with a clear message:
