Long Reach's Aidan West talks being one of the top recruits in Maryland and his NC State decision

Aidan's father taught Long Reach head coach Anthony Lyon in elementary school, and Aidan's grandfather played at NC State

Long Reach baseball player Aidan West / Gino Flores

Long Reach High School (Maryland) senior Aidan West plays shortstop for the school’s baseball team. The Ellicott City resident has played on varsity since his freshman year and has been a highlight to watch these past four years.

“Obviously, there’s been some huge expectations placed on me and the team in general who didn’t have a lot of success before me,” West said. “To try to turn things around was my main thing. It was like, ‘Let’s just make this a starting point.’”

West entered Long Reach at the same time as his teammate and best friend Seth Rosenfeld, as well as his head coach Anthony Lyon, a Class of 2009 alum from the school.

“On and off the field, he’s the same guy as some guy you want to talk to,” West said about Lyon. “I know I can talk to him about anything, whether it’s baseball-related, school-related or anything in life.”

For Lyon, this is his fourth year as the school’s varsity baseball head coach and ninth in the program. The Lightning finished 9-8 in 2022, the first season for Lyon and West.

“This year has been extremely special to me because of who I’m working with,” Lyon said. “We started off really young. My entire infield was all freshmen. Those guys were absolutely scrappy. They won games that they probably should not have won, and we hung in for games that we probably could have.”

West and Lyon go way back, before 2022. When Aidan was younger, he would come to baseball clinics at Long Reach when Coach Lyon was an assistant coach. Another fun fact: Aidan’s father, Gavin West, was Lyon’s third-grade teacher.

“From that moment, it’s just a special connection,” Lyon said. “He’s got a fantastic family. His father is amazing. The kid is the most humble, hard-working, but unapologetically-himself-on-the-field type of dude.”

Not only was Gavin an elementary school teacher, he also played multiple sports, including baseball, in high school. He was also into BMX, so much so that he was a Pennsylvania state champion.

On the Prep Baseball Report website, West is listed as the top Class of 2025 recruit in Maryland. However, the Long Reach senior doesn’t let all the attention affect his play.

“I’d say the only thing that really comes with it is you’re going to hear it from the other team,” he said. “I wouldn’t say pressure. Just hearing all the stuff that comes with it from freshman year on. I haven’t taken it for granted.”

On April 10, West hit two home runs in the Lightning’s 14-2 win over Hammond to become the program’s career home run leader.

“I didn’t even know when I hit it,” West said. “I didn’t even notice until after the game. I was like, ‘I just hit my 13th or 14th,’ and the record to beat was 12. It was super cool to set a record like that. Being able to leave knowing that I left my mark with something, I’m looking forward to hopefully raking some more this season.”

The Long Reach shortstop was named First-Team All-County the past three years and is looking to be given that honor for the fourth consecutive season. He is also close to setting the stolen base record for the Lightning.

West and Long Reach haven’t had much luck postseason-wise. They failed to make it out of the first round of the MPSSAA 3A High School Baseball Playoffs the past three years, facing opponents such as Sherwood and Reservoir (twice).

“Unfortunately, we’re in one of the tougher regions that it gets other than Whitman’s region in 4A,” West said. “It’s something you want to build on, and being able to know that you can hang with those types of guys is big for us as a team in general.”

West started playing tee-ball when he was around 3-4 years old, then moved to Coach Pitch, Travel Ball, the HCYP Raiders from 8U to 14U, U.S. Elite Mid-Atlantic, international tournaments for Perfect Game and Prep Baseball in Florida and Georgia, and national teams Canes National and Wow Factor.

“My childhood ball/summer ball experience has definitely been a big part of who I am in general and has taught me a lot about baseball,” West said.

As a kid, West grew up idolizing Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, and he still wears high socks because of him.

“I just remember watching Orioles games, and some of my friends would get bored after the third or fourth inning,” West said. “I just couldn’t wait for the commercials to be over, so I could watch the next inning.”

In terms of today’s major leaguers, West is inspired by fellow shortstops Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. for the way they play and go about their business.

“They very easily could hate each other being the two best players in the American League, shortstop-wise,” West said. “They’re competitive, and that’s something that I want to be like. I want to be in that position someday.”

For college, West will be heading to play baseball at N.C. State in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Long Reach senior committed to play there right before his freshman year of high school.

“Talking to Coach [Elliott] Avent, Coach [Chris] Hart and all the coaches there just made it feel like home,” West said. “I love the Carolinas in general. I’ve always loved going to North Carolina and South Carolina. Playing in the ACC is huge, and knowing that you’re in some warm-weather areas and not freezing up in Michigan was definitely a big part of that, too.”

West even has some family history in Raleigh, as his grandfather, Eddie West, was a catcher for the Wolfpack in the 1950s.

“I never got to meet him,” West said. “He passed away before I was born. But my father and grandmother have always told me stories about him playing and what kind of person he was. I write his initials in the dirt before every at-bat. I’ve been doing that even before I committed to N.C. State, but him playing there was big for me.”

Lyon also approved of West’s N.C. State decision.

“I’ve talked to his coach personally,” Lyon said. “The things he’s already said about Aidan over the phone is just everything I already feel about him now.”

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