Ohio U Was Always The First Option For Weber

LEBANON - Making a decision on where to attend college came easy for Zach Weber.

“I always liked OU and wanted to go to OU,” the Lebanon senior said in reference to Ohio University, a two-hour drive from his hometown. “If I wasn’t playing college baseball and just a student I’d go to OU.”

But the 6-1 205-pounder IS going to be playing at the next level and, fortunately for the 28th-rated 2021 in the state, Ohio U gave an offer and Weber quickly made a commitment to the Mid-American Conference school.

“To play at OU is a dream come true,” Weber noted. “I’m excited to be part of the program.”

Interest in the two-way prospect began back in February.

“They first started talking to me after PBR All-State,” Weber reflected. “Just the thought of Ohio U talking to me was super exciting.”

Conversation picked up just prior to the beginning of high school senior year.

“Right after summer ball season they started talking to me heavy,” Weber said. “They like me on the mound a lot. Growth for me there started last winter.”

An offer came and Weber committed the following day.

“I had an opportunity to go to USC-Upstate, but to be able to stay close to home was too much to pass up. My family means a lot. My dad went to OU and they can come watch me play.”

The potential to do more than pitch made the decision even easier for Weber, an outfielder with 95 exit velo and 7.11 speed in the 60 who also had the second-best showing at the PBR All-State event with an outfield velo of 91.

“I’m going to get a chance at two-way and I’m excited for that,” Weber explained. “It will be a big challenge for myself. I’ll have to work hard at it. In order to be a two-way you have to be consistent hitting. I’m also going to need to get my speed and range up in the outfield.”

It is on the mound where Weber has made the most noise of late.

“It was 15U or 16U when I first started taking pitching seriously,” Weber said. “I really started to focus on it heavily last winter. I hit the weight room and did Driveline and my velo went up. My breaking ball was better and I developed a change. I decided to try and take it to the next level.”

But there is an understanding that more improvement is required.

“I need to get better command of all my pitches,” Weber admitted. “I need to work on hitting my spots as well as the mental part of pitching.”

That is an area Weber has already spent time focusing on.

“It’s good to know what pitches to throw and when, it’s just a matter of executing them,” Weber said. “That, and being smarter in some situations.”

Playing Division I college baseball was not a consideration just a short while ago.

“I didn’t think about wanting to play D-I until the PBR All-State event,” Weber reflected. “That’s when I started hearing from all the coaches and things became exciting for me.”

But there was also a matter of dealing with COVID-19 giving a hit to the recruiting process.

“I tried to stay in contact with coaches as much as I could and get as much video to them as I could,” Weber said.

It all worked out in the end for Weber, a 3.0 student who points to his father as the biggest influence in his baseball journey to OU.

“We’ve always hit together outside,” noted Weber, who plans to major in business at Ohio U. “He’s always helped me when it comes to anything in baseball or anything in life.”

Following in his dad’s footsteps to college at OU comes with relief.

“It was fun, but stressful at times,” Weber said of his recruitment. “For the most part there was a lot of enjoyment but when I finally committed there was some relief. Now I don’t have to worry about getting seen.”

And what stood on most with the process?

“The day I committed,” Weber related. “With all the coronavirus and what you had to do to be seen through all the hard times, the day I committed is what I remember most. It’s a big honor and a great opportunity for me.”