Kale Fountain is like any other 14-year-old kid. He plays video games and rides his bike.
But when it comes to baseball, Fountain stands out above most his age.
You'll spot that right way when you meet him. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds. Then there is the sound when Fountain's bat connects with the ball, or the popping sound of the mitt when he pitches. They're different.
Big-time college baseball teams started taking notice. On Monday, the Lincoln native received a scholarship offer from Florida State, a powerhouse program that has appeared in the College World Series 23 times.
Fountain didn't need much time to think about it. Four months before starting the ninth grade at Norris, he committed to the Seminoles on the same day after take a three-hour virtual tour of the school and baseball program.
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"We talked about it a little bit if it were to happen, so we were ready," said Fountain, who projects as a two-way player. "It's just remembering everything that I've done to this point, and it just motivated me more to get ready to work even harder so I can get ready for the next level."
Offer in hand and commitment made, Fountain is indeed focused on the work ahead. He's at The Yard, an indoor baseball facility in south Lincoln, most days, getting there around noon and staying until 6 p.m. His Yard routine includes lifting weights and working with Todd Mosser on his hitting and pitching.Â
The work ethic comes from his father, who played baseball at Iowa Western, Fountain says. The love of baseball drives him to put in the time. "If it's going to help me in the future, then why not do it all day?"
Weight training has played a leading role in Fountain's recent growth. He was throwing around 75 mph last September, but he added 20 pounds and his fastball is reaching 82-84 these days.
Combine that with a strong frame and his bat speed, and it doesn't take long to see why Fountain is a unique prospect who has dreams of playing in the majors.
"You see the size (and) you see the calmness of the game, too," said Alex DeLaet, one of Fountain's coaches at Nebraska Prospects, the travel team based out of Omaha. "He's one of the only guys that I've seen that can hit a ball 93, 94 mph off the bat and it just looks effortless.
"To his credit, he works extremely hard at it. He's not a physical freak that just lucked into it. He's getting every ounce out of it."
Fountain caught Florida State's attention last fall when the right-hander and his Nebraska Prospects teammates were competing in showcase tournaments in Florida. Those events are attended by a countless number of college coaches. Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas and LSU also had initial interest, according to Mike Fountain, Kale's father.
But Fountain said he built a good relationship with FSU recruiting coordinator and former San Francisco Giants scout Mike Metcalf, which played a big part in Monday's pledge.
"When I started talking to them, I knew this was pretty big," said Fountain, who is ranked as the seventh-rated third base prospect in the 2024 class. "They're Florida State."
Since committing on Monday, the eighth-grader has received a lot of media attention. One of the most-asked questions, Mike Fountain says, is why commit now?
"If you feel comfortable, if you like a school, it's a good fit, then why not go?" Fountain said. "If it's the right offer and everything, so why not go? I thought Florida State would offer the best for me and I know that when I get for college that they'll develop me to be the best I can be, and that's what I'm looking for."
Said Mike Fountain, "(Florida State) wasn't the first one, but it was the one we've built the longest relationship with, and when a school of that caliber makes the right offer, it's a no-brainer. For us, it was an easy decision."
Programs like Florida State also are known to fill future recruiting classes quite quickly.
Fountain plans to play with the Omaha Tigers, a select team, this summer and Nebraska Prospects in the fall. His first game with Norris baseball will come next spring.
The first college baseball game Fountain saw in person was at the College World Series. The team: Florida State.
The Seminole players came over to talk to kids and Fountain received a baseball with a Florida State logo on it (The ball still sits in his room). From that point, Fountain wanted to play big-time college baseball.
The team that ignited his interest is the same one he plans to take swings for.
"I think it was more humbling to me, because I knew that if I wanted to get to this point I needed to work even harder and get stronger, so that's where I've been at, in here (at The Yard) every day," Fountain said. "I've got a good group of guys that I work with so it's not always just myself. I can have fun doing it and also just do something I love and get better at it every day."