Lewiston senior Josh Murphy announced this week that he committed to play at Bryant University on scholarship starting in the fall of 2023 .

Murphy first caught the attention of Bryant, an NCAA Division I program, last summer when he pitched a no-hitter at the Perfect Game Classic in Jupiter, Florida, with the Bulldogs’ hitting coach in attendance. The hitting coach alerted the team’s pitching coach, and soon Murphy was touring the campus in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

“They gave me a tour, and when I left it felt like that was the place I wanted to be,” Murphy said. “I took my time, weighed everything out, and I visited another school. In the last couple weeks, I was thinking about, ‘If these other schools offered, would I want to go there instead of Bryant?’ So, I decided to call it now.”

Lewiston’s Josh Murphy pitches against Brewster earlier this season during a game at Lewiston High School. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Other schools showed interest, but Murphy, the KVAC Northwest Player of the Year in 2021, said that he wanted to go somewhere he felt wanted, and he feels that that from Bryant.

Throughout the process, Murphy said he sought guidance from Lewiston coach Chris Reed, who also has coached Murphy on the Pastime American League team.

“He’s one of the first guys I reached out to,” Murphy said. “He’s been, since freshman year, has been the guy I reach out to for advice, and it doesn’t even have to be baseball related.

“I remember after the tour, I told him how I felt about it and he gave me his advice. We agreed and wanted to wait it out a bit. I talked to some other guys, former players, and they all kind of agreed with me and it was good to get some reassurance.”

Reed said that while he provided guidance, Murphy and his family ultimately made the decision of where he will play in college. Reed also said that adding Murphy is a good choice by Bryant.

“For the last four years, we’ve been talking about not being limited by measurables and to not let people tell you that your velocity isn’t there, you’re not tall enough, you don’t have enough movement on your pitches,” Reed said. “What they’re getting is a kid that wants to compete at the highest level. He will not stop until they take it from him. He wants to face the best and beat the best, and whenever we throw him into the deep water he always swims. He’s going to go there and he is going to acclimate and he’s going to find his way because he wants it that bad.”

Murphy, a lefty, is taking a gap year next year to workout, get stronger and put more work into his pitching and hitting. Bryant is bringing him on as a pitcher, but the coaches said it is possible for him to also be a hitter. 

“They said it’s doable, but it takes a huge toll on your body,” Murphy said. “You have to work on pitching, hitting, fielding and everything else. I haven’t really put a ton of thought into it and I would definitely give it a try, which they said was completely OK. They said if it doesn’t work out then focus on pitching. I will definitely keep working on hitting and when I get down there I will try it out.”

For now, most of Murphy’s focus is on the remainder of Lewiston’s (4-4) baseball season. But he’s excited about his future at Bryant and is confident that he made the right choice.

“I remember every coach I talked to saying, ‘You’ll leave the school knowing it’s something you want or not,’” Murphy said. “Bryant gave me that. Since I was a kid, it’s all I’ve really strived for is to play at the highest level I can play at. Just work my hardest and wherever it gets me, it gets me.

“Division I is always in the back of my mind, maybe a professional chance, and it’s driven me to work as hard as I can. It’s paying off so far and it feels great to make this achievement.”