Warren's Colburn signs with Dayton

If you're going to tour Buckeye State universities and be close to Columbus, you may as well be smart and check out the Buckeyes, right?

Kevin Colburn, a smart guy, did.

“I looked at Ohio State (University), but not for baseball,” said the Warren senior, aware his baseball future wasn't with Ohio State's Buckeyes. “I just wanted to see the school because it's so big.”

Colburn made a date with the University of Dayton, as well. He also visited the University of Cincinnati with his parents, Chuck and Terry, that weekend in early August.

“Dayton was definitely my favorite of the weekend,” Colburn said. “It all kind of fell into place.”

Colburn verbally committed to play Division I baseball for Dayton soon afterward, and on Wednesday, the slugging third baseman signed a national letter of intent to attend the Ohio school, where he plans to study engineering.

He also looked at Ivy League schools Harvard and Columbia, as well as Air Force.

“I really like my coach,” Colburn said of Dayton's Tony Vittorio, who coached the Flyers to the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship in 2009. “He's a good guy, and they know what they're doing there. They also have a new hitting coach and I like him too. And they have a great facility.”

Colburn has put up great numbers on the varsity baseball field since his sophomore year, but his classroom numbers are more impressive. He boasts a 4.36 GPA (4.0 scale) and scored a 32 on the ACT.

He belted 6 home runs in earning all-North Suburban Conference honors as a sophomore. He hit the same number of homers last year and settled for honorable mention all-NSC accolades for a Warren squad that went 29-9 and advanced to a sectional final.

“My numbers were actually better last year,” Colburn said. “I hit for a better average. But the talent in our conference was crazy.”

Colburn says he's been playing baseball since he was 3. His dad is a former pitcher and played two years of baseball at the University of Wisconsin, back when the Badgers had a program.

“I've always been pushed to play,” Colburn said, “and I love playing baseball.”

Colburn is such a baseball fanatic that he even works at the Bat Speed baseball and softball academy in Gurnee. You probably won't find his only sibling there, though.

Andy Colburn, a Warren sophomore, is into paintball and skateboarding, according to big brother.

“He's crazier than I am,” Colburn said with a laugh.

Notice he didn't say smarter.