Gary Gill Hill and Caden Dana used to be teammates on the Valley Central modified baseball team. Even though they went in different directions during high school, the two are about to be united once again as members of the 2022 MLB Draft class.

Gill Hill, of Walden, is a right-handed pitcher and outfielder, who played for Kennedy Catholic High School. Dana, from Montgomery, is a right-handed pitcher and third-baseman, who played at Don Bosco Prep.

“I’ve always dreamed of being a professional baseball player, and beyond that,” Dana said. “The whole reality of it didn’t really hit until maybe junior year.”

Last week on Wednesday, July 6, Gill Hill attended a pre-draft workout at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, getting the opportunity to work with and compete against other high school and collegiate draft prospects.

“It was amazing,” Gill Hill said of pitching on a big league mound. “I got out on the mound and just looked around, imagining the stadium being filled with a bunch of fans.”

He continued.

“Pitchers faced a group of hitters. I gave up an infield single, struck out one and got two groundouts. It was a pretty cool experience, seeing how talented everyone is, all coming from different places around the U.S.”

Dana too attended a pre-draft event. Although he didn’t participate in on-field activities, Dana traveled to PetCo Park in San Diego, CA for the MLB Draft Combine.

“It was a lot of meetings in the suites of the stadium,” Dana explained. “It was an awesome experience. When I first got to the field, within minutes, I met up with a couple players I met over the summer. You’re going around to those meetings, bumping into everyone. I got to meet a lot of people out there and it’s definitely an experience I enjoyed.”

Over the last year or so, Gill Hill bumped up three inches in height, from 5’11” to 6’2” and gained thirty pounds, going from 130 to 160. That included a jump in velocity from the mid-to-upper 80’s, to averaging his fastball in the low 90’s - maxing out at 95 - between his junior and senior seasons.

“A few years ago I was still in the 70s, just barely hitting 80. A few months ago a scout DM’d me to ask what I was throwing,” he said. “Then a couple came to see me and I hit 94 for the first time that day and I did it twice.”

Recently the Walden native changed his commitment from Fairleigh Dickinson University to Wake Forest University, of the ACC. Gill Hill was able to get out of his NLI due to Head Coach Rob DiToma leaving FDU for The University of San Francisco.

After decommitting, Gill Hill received offers from none other than the University of San Francisco and Rice University. He was in talks with Georgia Tech, Rutgers and Saint Johns before eventually deciding to commit to Wake Forest.

“I had pitched in front of the Wake Forest coach and they gave me an offer. I went down there last week and accepted their offer when I was down there,” he said. “The coaches and baseball facility, especially the pitching lab that they have really stood out.”

If he ends up as a Demon Deacon, Gill Hill plans on majoring in business, with a minor in computer science.

Dana is currently committed to play baseball in college at the SEC’s University of Kentucky. The right-hander currently throws in the upper 90’s and is coming off of a Non-Public A New Jersey State Championship with Don Bosco.

“It’s going to be a tough one,” Dana said on the anticipated decision between signing a professional contract or going to Kentucky. “Kentucky’s a really good school and they have everything I need to get better. On the other side of it with the draft, if a team wants to throw the right amount of money at me to get me to forgo college, then that might be the move.”

He continued, discussing why he initially committed to join the Wildcats.

“They’re an SEC school and they’re really good at developing players. The coaching staff is great and you can talk to them about anything. Their motto is based on family and I’m really big on having that kind of chemistry with teams.”

Dana, also a lefty-swinging third baseman, was named as the 2022 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year.

“It’s an honor to be even nominated or in the running for something like that,” he said. “I got the call one morning around 10 a.m. from my coach saying that I won. We had a game that day too. It’s a great honor to be the Gatorade Player of the Year.”

Gill Hill echoed Dana’s take on the decision between draft or college, noting that it’s a win-win situation.

“I’d definitely say that if the money’s there I’ll take it. It’s a win-win situation,” Gill Hill said. “Wake Forest is one of the best programs for developing pitchers or I’ll be with a professional organization.”

“My parents and I have another meeting with my adviser before that draft, walking through everything. What the money should be, what round and what teams are interested.”

Gill Hill noted that Willie Frazier, who spent nine seasons as a big league pitcher, and Nick Serio, of Athletes Warehouse, helped him reach the level he’s at today.

Dana, on the other hand, has had his help come from a bit closer to home. His eldest brother, Cullen, is a left-handed pitcher and was most-recently with the San Diego Padres organization. Casey, the middle brother, just finished up a graduate season with the University of Connecticut and could also get taken in the draft this year.

“Especially getting closer to being in the position where Cullen was, I have him in my ear everyday. That’s from throwing tips to staying healthy, which was his biggest issue. He just wasn’t able to stay healthy 24/7 and that hurt him,” Caden said. “That’s been his motto with me; he preaches being healthy. That could be eating well, certain throwing drills and things to stay away from. He always keeps it simple too. I gotta give a lot of credit to him and Casey. I don’t think I’d be in this position without them.”

It seems like a long time ago that Dana and Gill Hill were teammates playing on that all-dirt modified field behind Valley Central Middle School, now about to be a part of the same draft class.

“I haven’t really seen him in awhile, but he’s grown so much since we played in middle school,” Gill Hill said of Dana. “He was always good, but now he’s even better. He’s throwing like 97 and still a really good hitter. He’s just a pure ballplayer who works really hard.”

Dana also gave hit thoughts on Gill Hill.

“Gary’s the nicest kid I ever met growing up. Outside of modified I didn’t really play with him, but you could just see his raw athleticism. He was the fastest kid in our grade. He could always run and jump. Then we lost touch after COVID hit,” Dana said. “Next thing I know he’s throwing 94-95.”

“All of a sudden I started seeing videos of him doing really well and was just excited for him. It’s really exciting to hear his name on the draft board.”

The draft is scheduled to begin on July 17 and run through July 19. It will take place in Downtown Los Angeles, as part of the 2022 MLB All Star Game festivities.