Why We Built Eagleclaw for Athletes Like You
Meet Our Team
Michael Vlasity
Founder
Eagleclaw Analytics was founded by Michael Vlasity in 2020 as a counter to the high percentage of college baseball and softball players that have poor experiences at their initial schools of choice. Combining his background in econometrics and data analysis with his love for coaching, Michael developed a proprietary data model that consolidates athletic, academic, and financial data on roughly 1,200 four-year college baseball and softball schools. The revolutionary model identifies a prospects top 10 colleges based on their unique background and preferences, a game-changer in the world of college baseball and softball recruiting.
Mike Fiscus
Consultant
Mike Fiscus brings over 25 years of coaching and college baseball and softball recruiting experience to our Recruiting Advisor and Director of Player Development positions. Having placed over 200 high school baseball and softball prospects into NCAA and NJCAA programs across the nation, Mike's reputation as a relationship builder speaks for itself. Mike believes that a prospect's intangibles (work ethic, character, growth mindset, etc.) ultimately foster success and he takes pride in holding himself to those same ideals when advising prospects and their families.
Ben Himes
Consultant
Ben Himes has been a professional hitting coach and college recruiting expert for over 15 years. Drafted out of high school, but choosing to play in college, Ben was named an All-American Collegiate Player of the Year his senior season and was a 9th round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds. He later spent time in the Yankees minor league system. After baseball, Ben focused his attention on researching the neuroscience behind what makes successful athletes, writing his first book, The Tao of Batting, this past year. Many colleges consult with him when looking for high-level academic student-athletes.
Luke Vargas
Consultant
Luke Vargas grew up in Brighton, Colorado before attending Augustana College (IL) from 2017-18. After returning home he played in the MHCBL from 2018-2019 where he started at third base in the All-Star Game and participated in the Home Run Derby. After concluding his playing career he earned his B.A. in Strategic Relationships focusing on communication styles while helping players through the many struggles that come with playing baseball and softball. Since 2020 he has been working as a private hitting instructor and high school travel coach at Slammers North Baseball where he as played an integral role in helping high school athletes achieve their goals of becoming collegiate athletes.
Where does the Eagleclaw Analytics name come from?
Before sabermetrics, multi-million dollar contracts, and MLB the Show video games, the foundation of America's Game was built by kids playing on empty fields and sandlots all across the country. Without the presence of coaches and scouts, and with no need to track individual game stats or performance metrics, kids would compete for the simple love of the game. When selecting their teams for the day, each 'team captain' would alternate placing their hands on the handle of the bat working towards the knob. The first captain to 'Eagle Claw' the bat by placing their hand vertically over the end of the bat got to pick first. While the game of baseball has changed significantly since the sandlot days of old, playing for the simple love of the game never has to go out of style. Our company name is a subtle reminder to approach an often complicated and overwhelming college baseball recruiting process with the same independence and joy as the kids selecting teams on the sandlot.
