National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.
If you are ready to take your recruiting to the next level, click the Get Scouted button below to be evaluated by an NSR College Scout.
Get Scouted Scouting CareersBaseball scouting is in Mike Gossner’s blood.
Eight months a year for the past 11 years, he has been scouting high school, junior college and college baseball players for the Baltimore Orioles. Since January, he has been scouting high school players for National Scouting Report.
“I just love the game,” said Gossner, 62, an NSR baseball scout in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. “I wanted to stay in baseball, and scouting keeps me in the game.”
Gossner, a longtime coach and former player, was knee deep in pro scouting leading up to last week’s First-Year Player Draft. An associate scout for the Orioles, he wasn’t involved in the selection of players, but was instrumental in evaluating prospects before the draft.
“My role is to scout prospects in our area,” said Gossner, whose Orioles’ territory includes Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and parts of Delaware. “If I think they are professional prospects, I pass the information on to the regional scout.”
Gossner assumed the same role — on a lower level — with NSR. Sometimes he plays both roles at the same time.
“I use the same method of scouting with NSR as I do with the Orioles,” he said. “The beauty of scouting for NSR is that there are quite a few [college] levels that these young people can play at.”
NSR scouting is quite rewarding, Gossner said.
“Seeing a young person live out their dream of playing college baseball is more exciting to me than watching a young man make the pros,” he said.
A former baseball player at Neshaminy High School and Bucks County Community College in the Philadelphia suburbs, Gossner has coached youth, American Legion, high school and college baseball for more than 30 years. He is the franchise owner of the Philly Bandits, a nationally known AAU program for 14U, 16U, 17U and 22U players. He is also vice president of the All American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) and Eastern PA state director of the Continental Amateur Baseball Association (CABA).
“I was an OK player,” said Gossner, a former middle infielder. “However, I am a much better talent evaluator. I’ve always had an eye for talent.”
Now, he is using that eye to evaluate high school talent for NSR.
“I wish I would have done this 10 years ago,” he said. “I really enjoy helping a young person understand the [recruiting] process.”
Gossner has been scouting baseball exclusively for NSR. Soon he plans to cross over into softball and also may add soccer.
“My goal is to become a full-time NSR scout,” he said. “That’s what I really want to do.”
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.