With the fall signing period starting on November 14th, PBR Ohio will be taking a look at the number of players from Ohio headed to a college program within the state’s borders. Each day, we will break down a school's class player-by-player. Earlier, we reviewed the recruiting classes from Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Dayton, Kent State, Miami University, and The Ohio State University. Now, we move on to Ohio University.

OHIO UNIVERSITY

With Coach Carbone’s tenure coming to an end, the Bobcats have started a new era under new head coach Rob Smith. On top of the late start in the recruiting process, the new coaching staff faced the challenge of plugging holes in a roster that they had never seen.

In a surprising coupe, Coach Smith struck quickly by securing a commitment from Mayfield outfielder Mitch Longo. The talented left-handed hitter was being courted by many of the state’s top programs, but he ultimately decided to call Athens home.

Putting a premium on versatility, Coach Smith also secured commitments from Hamilton Badin’s Austin Rieman (pictured right), who plays infield and catches, as well as Waynesville’s versatile infielder Ty Black.

For pitching, Coach Smith brought in two products from inside the state’s borders. Watkins Memorial southpaw Tony Winters, who has a mid 80’s arm with excellent movement on all of his pitches, is a relatively unknown prospect as he played legion baseball and did not attend many showcases. He is joined by Toledo Central Catholic right-handed pitcher Jacob Rudnicki, a power arm with an upper 80’s fastball. 

PBR Player Rankings

No. 13 Mitch Longo
No. 24 Austin Rieman (Top Prospect Game Participant)
No. 29 Tony Winters (Pre-Season Underclass Participant)
No. 36 Ty Black 
No. 43 Jacob Rudnicki