Cody Sherrer’s steep athletic trajectory is not shocking given his early success, but the jump he’s taken in the past 12 months or so has been eye-opening.
Sherrer posted a 6-2 record and an impressive 2.16 ERA as a sophomore at North Warren (Blairstown) High School. So, sure, the righthander was beginning to turn heads. He’d also began training and playing with the Diamond Jacks program out of Diamond Nation as an 11 year-old.
So, his coaches in Blairstown and Flemington all knew the youngster had ability at an early age. That was not exactly a secret.
But Sherrer went from having the look of an impressive young pitcher to possessing a dominant maturing arm in the spring of summer of 2023. He suddenly had the look of a Division 1 pitcher.
“I think I just got bigger physically,” said Sherrer, who would commit to Monmouth University in early August, capping a terrific spring-summer cycle that resulted in his landing with the school he had desired all along.
“Working hard in the weight room helped, as did my coaches working with me to improve my mechanics,” said Sherrer. “My velocity was the main factor but my other pitches fell into place and I became a more well-rounded pitcher.”
Once those improvements manifested themselves, a commitment to Monmouth became a reality. Cody will play ball for the Hawks and much-admired 30-year head coach Dean Ehehalt and work with pitching coach Mike Russo.
“I’ve always loved Monmouth,” said Sherrer. “I went to a camp there in eighth grade. My brother (Michael) goes there now. Monmouth was pretty much always at the top of my list.”
Cody Sherrer, a terrific pitcher, also played infield and batted .439 for North Warren last spring.
Sherrer had five other Division 1 offers, including Maine, Marist and Fairleigh Dickinson. He took his official visit to Monmouth in early December. He plans to study Homeland Security as an undergrad and then pursue a Masters in Criminal Justice.
Sherrer’s physical maturity — he’s now 6-1, 190 pounds — coinciding with a noticeable uptick in his fastball velocity and improved command on his arsenal of off-speed pitches has proved quite a challenge for batters.
“I have my fastball up to the high 80s and I’m getting good movement and command of my breaking pitches,” he said.
Good command has been a trademark of Sherrer’s arsenal for quite some time now, but subtle improvements can be seen in the shape of his slider and cutter, providing a deadly complement to an already effective changeup and his two- and four-seam fastballs.
“I’m effective throwing changeups to lefties and sliders to righties,” Sherrer says. “Good control is something I’ve always had. I love getting ahead in the count. That definitely helps you. It opens things up to throwing whatever you want from there.”
Sherrer’s sophomore year at North Warren was impressive, certainly, for a sophomore. He pitched a healthy 45.1 innings, allowed just 14 earned runs, struck out 61 and walked 17. He was growing up as a pitcher and the next jump would take place that summer with the Diamond Jacks Super 16U squad.
“Cody had a great summer and fall for us at 16U,” said Walt Cleary, Sherrer’s coach with the Diamond Jacks Super 16U team.That great summer included two dominant outings at a showcase in Georgia. “He made a massive jump in velocity over the next winter, too. Cody’s a high character kid with an amazing work ethic.”
Sherrer, who was named an All-Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference honoree as a sophomore, would take his game to a higher level in the spring of 2023.
He spearheaded North Warren’s 17-7 campaign by going 7-1 with a 1.15 ERA. He struck out 85 batters and walked just nine over 48.2 innings. That’s a stunning 12.3 strikeouts per seven innings. He permitted just eight earned runs. His fastball velocity had made an appreciable jump from the low-80s to the high-80s.
The scoreboard says it all. Cody Sherrer is one tough hombre to score runs off of.
“The quiet, calm confidence in which Cody takes the mound is the same way he tackles life in general,” says North Warren coach John Palmer, about to begin his third season as his school’s head coach and his 12th year in the Patriots’ program overall. “Of all of Cody’s characteristics as an athlete and person, his humbleness shines through the most. He leads by example, letting his actions do the talking.”
Sherrer is not just a one trick pony on the baseball diamond. He plays infield when he’s not pitching for North Warren and led the Patriots last spring with a .439 batting average. He had 29 hits, scored 17 runs, contributed nine doubles, two HRs and 17 RBI. His remarkable all-around performance would land him, once again, on All-NJAC. That terrific season also placed him on NJ.com’s First Team All-Group 1.
He followed that excellent spring season with a dynamic summer with the Diamond Jacks Super 17U team and coach Kevin Cust.
“Cody has done a tremendous job improving his skill set on the mound over the last year and a half,” said Cust. “He pitched in some tough games for us in the summer, and he always matched up well against the better teams.”
Sherrer’s improvements on the mound were more evident with every start.
“It was a good summer with the Super 17,” Sherrer said. “My main goal was to get recruited and that’s what happened. My fastball velo increased a little and I really started to develop my cutter. The cutter is still in development but I have decent command of it.”
Sherrer’s winter routine has been designed to rest his arm and build his body. “I was lifting weights six days a week and just got back to throwing. I’m doing some weight bag work, plyos and drill work. We’re still a little ways away from full bullpens.”
Those bullpens will come quickly, as will Sherrer’s senior season at North Warren, when we’ll get to see that dominance on the mound once again.
“Cody is a great kid with a bright future ahead of him,” says Cust. “Monmouth is definitely getting a good one.”