EAST LANSING — When Paul VanDam made the East Lansing varsity baseball team as a freshman, he realized the possibilities existed for him to reach his goal of playing the sport he loved in college.
VanDam knew then he just needed to continue putting in the work to help turn his baseball dreams into reality.
The product of that work led to VanDam signing to continue his baseball career at Michigan State as a pitcher on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The 6-foot-4 VanDam, a senior, saw his recruitment pick up after success pitching for his Legacy travel team based out of Brighton in the summer. That was key in VanDam getting a scholarship offer from the Spartans.
“I knew as soon as that came through that that is where I wanted to be,” said VanDam, who made a verbal commitment to MSU in late August.
VanDam was an all-CAAC Blue and all-district performer as a junior for the Trojans. The righty went 3-3 with a 2.01 earned run average and struck out 57 and walked just 18 in 41 2/3 innings for East Lansing in the spring. He also hit .304 with six doubles, four triples, a home run and 21 RBIs.
“From day one, he stood out not just because of his talent but because of how he carried himself,” East Lansing coach Mark Pendred said of VanDam. “Paul is one of the most coachable, mature and composed players I’ve had the privilege to coach.”
With his college goal accomplished, VanDam has turned his focus toward a strong 2026 season with East Lansing and pushing to earn time on the mound with the Spartans. After being part of East Lansing’s state championship boys basketball team in 2024-25, VanDam made the tough decision to not play hoops this winter to dedicate more time to growing as a baseball player.
“I know it’s going to be a lot of work to earn a spot in the rotation,” VanDam said. “I’m just focusing on trusting the process, taking it one day at a time and controlling what I can and putting a lot of work in. When I get (to MSU) it’s playing with a lot of confidence and proving that I’m someone that can contribute to this team.
“It’s going in there knowing that this is a good opportunity for me to prove myself and as long as I keep working I think I’ll be able to be a solid contributor in the future of the program.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: East Lansing’s Paul VanDam lands opportunity at home pitching for MSU baseball
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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