Roa Bringing A Lot Of Athleticism To Central Michigan

Drake Roa SS / OF / Notre Dame Prep & Marist Academy, MI / 2026

CHESTERFIELD - When you have a father that made it to the Big Leagues it is only natural to want to follow the same path.

Drake Roa has taken that next step with a commitment to play college baseball at Central Michigan.

“My dad was a huge influence on me,” Roa said of his father Joe, who pitched in 120 major league games over six seasons with seven different teams, including his first appearance with the Cleveland Indians during the World Series season of 1995. “I never saw him play, he retired before I was born, but at four or five, as soon as I could pick up a bat, I fell in love with the game. Ever since, he’s been a huge part of it. If he sees something wrong he helps fix it. He’s a big part of my interest in college baseball.”

While his father was helpful in development, the Future Games played a key role in the recruiting process for the Notre Dame Prep and Marist Academy junior.

“They saw me at the Future Games and liked the way I played,” the fourth-ranked 2026 shortstop in the state said about Central Michigan. “They were one of the first schools that called me on Aug. 1 and said they really like me. We talked a couple more times and they invited me on a visit. A couple others showed interest but they were still figuring out how to offer, whether freshmen or to use the transfer portal.”

The visit to the Mid-American Conference university in Mount Pleasant went well.

“I met the coaches and they were very honest with what they like about me and that I fit in the program well,” Roa related. “They offered me two days later and I took a couple of days to talk it over with my family about my situation and how Central fit in. Two or three days after I committed.”

There were a lot of reasons that Central Michigan was right for Roa.

“We talked about how Central is close, less than three hours from home, and I like the area that it’s in,” Roa explained. “They play a lot of teams close to home so it will be easy for my parents to come see me play. I like the turf field and they have a really good business and sport management program. I knew it would be a good fit for me.”

The coaches at Central Michigan have high regard for what the 13th-rated junior in Michigan can bring to the program.

“They said they really like how I get on base, and how I can run and steal when I get on base,” Roa said. “They like my D, how I can play shortstop or fit in anywhere with my instincts to play outfield. They really like my overall athleticism.”

A number of schools saw a lot of promise in the 6-2 185-pounder, who on Aug. 1 had “close to 10 schools” contact him, including Oakland, Ohio University, Duke, Michigan State, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Roa, who also visited Michigan State before deciding on Central, pointed to an improved game with aiding his cause in becoming a college baseball commit.

“Working on my instincts helped me gain a lot of looks from colleges,” Roa noted. “I worked on situations and a lot of mental stuff. Getting better on the physical side helped me improve getting more extra base hits, more double and triple gap shots. I also worked a lot on the defensive side with glove work and a lot of ground balls and my arm is better, too.”

The 17-year-old gave a shoutout to Notre Dame Prep coach Jason Gendreau, the West Oakland Wings organization and “all of my teammates” with playing important roles in his baseball journey to Central, with Adam Goodwin, Prep Baseball Michigan Director of Scouting, another key figure leading up to his commitment.

“It was super exciting to commit,” Roa said. “I didn’t know when I’d commit, I thought it might be a little later. All the help and hard work I put in paid off. It’s exciting to know where I’m going. I was looking for a program where I can make an impact right away.”

A three-sport athlete now playing football, basketball and baseball, Roa sees a big difference ahead with only baseball on his mind.

“I’m looking forward to focusing on just baseball,” Roa noted. “I play three sports now and enjoy them all, but it will be nice to just focus on one when I get to college.”

There is more that Roa, who carries a 3.6 GPA in high school, is excited about when it comes to being a student-athlete at Central Michigan.

“It’s going to be great having all those resources with a strength and conditioning coach and infield coach,” Roa concluded. “I’m ready to get to work.”