As you may have read, John Jay pitcher Jared Hirschberg became the latest LoHudder to commit from the class of 2010. He landed at a popular spot: Manhattan College.

The Jaspers has as much local flavor as any D-I baseball program. Coach Kevin Leighton is from Brewster. Third baseman Chad Salem is from Iona Prep (and Rye). Top-three starter Mike Giordano is from Fox Lane. Joe Rock from Kennedy (and Carmel), Nick Camastro and Ryan Wallner from Arlington and Erik Luksis from JJEF are all coming in this fall. Two outgoing seniors Mike Gazzola and Tom Costigan are both from the area, too.

Hirschberg will soon join that group. He said that the success Giordano, a walkon, had this spring really pushed him toward Manhattan.

“The thought that he walked on and had a very successful year and did well kind of made me believe that if I prove myself, I can get a lot of good innings in as a freshman,” Hirschberg said.

Hirschberg, a righty, impressed Leighton at Baseball Heaven on Long Island. He hit 88-89 consistently.

Hirschberg had other Division I interest from Stony Brook and St. John’s. He received serious offers from Pace and Bryant before deciding on Manhattan.

“I had a lot of decisions to make, a lot of options,” Hirschberg said. “I thought the best one that fit me was Manhattan. I liked the city environment and it’ss a very good Division I program.”

There never seemed to be many second thoughts around here about whether Jim Brennan would go pro or head to St. John’s. Even he never really pondered bypassing the opportunity to play ball in college, not as a 45th-rounder. “I really didn’t consider it,” he admitted.

Indeed, Brennan made the logical choice. He turned down an undisclosed offer from the Detroit Tigers before last night’s midnight deadline. He will head to St. John’s in a couple weeks.

“To go through the process was great,” Brennan said. “I know I have of great things to look forward to at St. John’s.”

The level-headed Suffern grad told me “the whole experience was phenomenal” dealing with being selected and everything that accompanies it. “It’ll make things a whole lot easier when it comes up again,” he said.

Another few days go by and another group of local players make their college commitments. There’s a story out tomorrow, but here’s a recap on them:

T.J. OLESCZUK, Hen Hud shortstop, committed to Winthrop — With a pretty solid list of Division I suitors, Olesczuk, a three-year starter for the Sailors, had plenty of opportunities to play college baseball. As you’ll read in tomorrow’s paper, what it came down to for him was how much each program wanted his services. No team chased after him like Winthrop, and that is exactly where he ended up. Olesczuk estimated that Winthrop watched him play as many as a dozen times, beginning with the Battle at the Border in Port Chester. … Northeastern, Wofford and Manhattan also offered him, according to Olesczuk. Penn St., Old Dominion, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame showed interest, especially Penn St. and ODU. You can read more tomorrow from T.J., who was the Section 1 leader in homers and RBI and was a first-team TJN all-star.

CHRIS BATES, Regis LHP, committed to Tulane — Many of you (OK, OK…me included) probably don’t or didn’t know about Bates. He is from Ossining, he is 6-foot-5 and he has pitched on the varsity the last two seasons for Regis, a highly competitive CHSAA A Division team out of Manhattan. Bates is an interesting guy. He originally looked into Tulane based solely on academics, but the Green Wave staff caught him pitching for the Taconic Rangers down in Georgia. A few conversations later the Big Lefty was in the Big Easy, and the rest is history. … Tulane was only the third school Bates visited, after Richmond and Appalachian State. With an academic reputation he sought, and solid Conference USA competition, No. 3 was more than enough for Bates.

JOHN PILLA, Ardsley shortstop, committed to Young Harris College (GA) — Here’s another interesting school, much in the mold of Pat Farina, the Mahopac outfielder who committed to a first-year NAIA school this summer. Pilla gave his verbal to Young Harris, which is a former junior college powerhouse that will begin play next season in Division II. The school had previously been a junior college and is now in its first school year as a four-year institution.

For all of the honors he has received the last few years, Robbie Aviles may never have been given as much respect as he was recently. The Suffern senior-to-be was picked for the 2009 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic. Check out the event’s web site here.

The Aflac game will be played on Aug. 16 at Petco Park in San Diego. Aviles, who was one of 40 players selected, will play for the East team in the East-West game. He is one of 20 players on the East team. You can read his bio here.

The importance of the showcase is plainly obvious. Of the 40 players who participated in last year’s game, 13 were selected in the first round of the 2009 draft, including third-overall pick Donovan Tate. Former No. 1 picks Justin Upton, Matt Bush and Tim Beckham are among the event’s alumni.

I’ll have more in the paper and online about Aviles playing in the game during the coming days.

I’ll have a few news items this week but here’s the first: Suffern grad Jim Brennan will travel to New Mexico this weekend to compete for the South Troy Dodgers in the Connie Mack World Series.

You can find more info about the event here.

Brennan plays his summer ball out of Staten Island. However, after that season ended, Brennan was picked up by the Albany-based Dodgers. (His father, Robert, knew people involved with the team; he went to high school in Albany area.)

Batting third and playing center, Brennan helped the Dodgers advance through regionals unbeaten. He went 9 for 18 with two home runs and eight stolen bases in the tourney. He actually homered in the first inning of the championship game.

Brennan and South Troy begin play in the Connie Mack WS on Friday, Aug. 7. They are scheduled to kick off play at 8 on Friday night before a huge post-opening ceremonies crowd.

I also asked Brennan about his courtship with the Tigers, who selected him in the draft. He does not expect to sign and plans on enrolling at St. John’s, although he has yet to receive an offer from Detroit. That offer will ultimately determine his future, but he will not make a final decision until it has been issued.

Jake or I will update you after he makes a final decision. The deadline for big league clubs to sign its draft picks is Aug. 17.

I’ll have more on Brennan in Friday’s paper and here on the website.