Ohio State baseball brotherhood attracts Haberthier

Nathan Haberthier RHP / 1B / Lakota East, OH / 2020

LAKOTA - Nate Haberthier has been a Notre Dame fan his whole life … until now.

“I became an Ohio State fan when i stepped on campus,” explained the Lakota East junior, who recently committed to play baseball for the Buckeyes. “I can’t wait to wear an O on my chest.”

That opportunity came after the 6-5 205-pound right-hander drew interest with his performance at the PBR Future Games and in the fall in Fort Myers playing with DBat Elite.

“I threw two innings of no-hit baseball, 87-89, and they decided that’s what they want,” the 18th-ranked junior in Ohio said of the Buckeyes. “They were interested before, but they were’ looking for a jump in miles per hour and it went up three at Fort Myers. They had seen enough.

“Obviously the talent is there.” Haberthier continued about what helped bring OSU on board. “They like my build and that I’m a hard worker. They reached out to my high school coaches, my summer coaches and my high school teachers, and they all said I’m one of the hardest workers they have. Coach (Greg) Beals wants kids that get better on and off the field.”

The 11th-rated pitcher in the state’s 2020 class is ecstatic to become a Buckeye.

“It’s a blessing ... going to Ohio State has always been a dream,” Haberthier noted. “I take a lot of pride to accomplish that goal and stay in Ohio.”

Interest came from numerous colleges after the Future Games in August.

“I didn’t pitch the greatest, I pitched okay,” pointed out Haberthier.

Tennessee, Cincinnati, Ohio U, Indiana, UNC Charlotte, Miami and Dayton reached out to Haberthier after the PBR event at Grand Park in addition to Ohio State.

“That’s something I dreamed about since I knew what baseball was,” Haberthier said in reference to the college interest. “I’ve put in a lot of hours to get where I’m at and I’m truly blessed with the opportunity.”

A visit to Ohio State took place in November.