GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Kayden Neil always wanted to play college baseball at the highest level, but up until recently he saw it as a distant dream.

The probability of playing Division 1 baseball for high schoolers is 2.7%, according to the NCAA. Now, tack on the fact that Kayden Neil pitched in the inaugural campaign for his high school in Montana.

The left-handed pitcher and his family decided to take a leap of faith and travel the country, hoping for an opportunity to showcase Kayden’s skills to top colleges.

The Mercedes-Benz Baseball Club director and head coach Ben Krueger provided Neil with that chance. Krueger is also the head coach of Yakima Valley College, where Neil was previously committed prior to last week.

Kayden Neil tossed a complete game shutout at Bailey-Brayton Field on Washington State’s campus and was greeted by the Cougars coaching staff after the game.

The class of 2027 southpaw received a call from Washington State head coach Nathan Choate on July 14 and committed two days later.

Neil said he had put in a strong summer season in the lead up to the games in Pullman, Wash.

“I went to Washington in kind of a high-pressure moment, and I did pretty well handle myself pretty well,” Neil said. “And then that’s kind of how it came about. They were there, Coach Choate just, made me feel at home right away. And I knew it was right where I wanted to be. And I was just so thankful for him giving me the opportunity.”

Neil rose through the youth ranks as a small, crafty pitcher before hitting his growth spurt. The lefty’s larger size and frame helped him capitalize on the mental side of the game he learned from CMR assistant baseball coach Ryan Yurek.

“[Yurek] opened up the side of pitching the mental side to me,” Neil said. “And that really helped me just like learn how to focus and the preparation it takes and how mentally prepared you have to be.”

The game of baseball is played on a diamond with nine players on the field. But there are countless hours of hard work and preparation for parents and players that allow the action to take place.

Kayden Neil’s mother, Katie, said the moment the Washington State staff shook her son’s hand and told him they had stuck around to see him made it all worth it.

“They saw the same thing we saw in him,” Katie Neil said. “So, it was awesome. It’s been a phenomenal ride, and I wouldn’t give up any mile or any hotel stay for anything.”

Kayden Neil pitched 40.2 innings for Great Falls CMR this past season. He finished with a 1.89 ERA and led the state with 65 strikeouts.

The art of pitching in baseball is a craft that is perfected through repetition and maturation on the mound. Kayden Neil’s father, Kody, said his son’s development came from being a student of the game.

“I told him right after we got off the call with the staff at WSU, ‘now the real hard work begins,” Kody Neil said. “This is where the real stuff happens.”

CMR baseball head coach Tony Forster said it is big for the team to see Kayden Neil commit to a prestigious Division 1 program.

“I think it kind of sets the standard of our program,” Forster said. “It gives younger kids something to strive for, that there are opportunities to go play at the highest level in college.”

Forster will get to experience the explosive energy Neil carries into each outing during his senior season in 2027.

Kayden Neil said he loves to bring the energy and hype up his team when he is toeing the rubber.

“You kind of have to be a little bit crazy, I like to go out there and put on a little bit of a show,” Kayden Neil said. “Just have a lot of fun and I’m uber competitive so I like to win.”

Neil has traveled the nation this summer, having taken the mound in Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, and Oregon, and he has an upcoming tournament in Tennessee.

The Rustlers will look to build on their first-ever baseball season that culminated in a third-place finish at state. Kayden Neil said he would be returning to CMR for his final season of high school baseball.