Stahl follows Mercer to Indiana

Nate Stahl 3B / RHP / Walsh Jesuit, OH / 2019

AKRON - The college plans for Nate Stahl just moved a little bit west.

The Walsh Jesuit senior, who had previously made a verbal commitment to Wright State, has decided Indiana is a better fit for his future.

“Coach Mercer is a huge part of it,” explained Stahl in reference to former Wright State coach Jeff Mercer, who is now the head man at IU. “He’s a great coach and one of the main reasons I chose Wright State. I wanted to go with him.”

When Mercer was named the new head coach at the Big 10 school in early July, Stahl began to reconsider his decision to go to Wright State, where he made a verbal as a sophomore..

“I texted with him after I found out about it,” Stahl said of Mercer. “We talked later about what it would be like if I’d go there. Then I went back to Wright State to see if I still wanted to go there. I visited Indiana shortly after that.

“It was a tough decision,” the 14th-rated 2019 player in Ohio continued. “The biggest part was I thought they could develop me the most for the next level. They have all the resources at Indiana, not just baseball but academics, too. Everything you need to be ready to get on the right track for the rest of your life.”

For the 6-3 192-pounder, that includes making strides on the ball diamond.

“I’ve been developing my changeup and factoring it in more,” noted the right-handed pitcher, who has hit 92 on the radar. “I feel you can get people out more with the change. I’m also working on developing a sinker as a pitch. The main goal this year is to keep hitters off balance as much as I can.”