Nori Headed To Play For 2021 National Champions

NORTHVILLE - “A national championship fits my style.”

Those are the words of Dante Nori after making a recent commitment to Mississippi State, the 2021 College World Series champions.

“I love the way they play baseball,” the top-ranked 2024 in Michigan said. “They  know how to win. I felt how different it was from everyone else.”

The Northville High School incoming sophomore drew interest from numerous baseball powers after decommitting from Arizona State.

“After they made a coaching switch I wanted to reopen it back up,” Nori said of his recruitment. “I went there because of the coaches, but when they left it wasn’t for me.”

Schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia Tech and Oregon were attracted to the 15th-ranked 2024 outfielder in the nation, whose recruitment at an early age ended in a commitment to ASU in the summer of eighth grade.

“That’s where I wanted to go since the age of seven,” Nori related about Arizona State. “My grandpa used to be a volunteer coach there for a year or two. I fell in love with the weather out there.”

However, the plan changed with the coaching decision in the Pac-12 program.

“It was difficult at first but I realized it wasn’t going to work out,” Nori explained. “From my standpoint I wanted to get out and feel the process again.”

Mississippi State proved to be the answer.

“They’ve seen me for awhile,” noted Nori, who drew attention this past high school season for hitting a cycle as a freshman. “I got to know all the coaching staff and ended up doing a zoom. That’s when they made an offer.”

Nori liked what Mississippi State had to say.

“They have amazing facilities, that’s what I saw,” Nori said. “I’m going on a visit there at the end of this month.”

The 5-11 170-pound left-handed hitting outfielder impressed the coaching staff of the national champions.

“They like the way I play, the speed I bring and the aggressiveness on the base paths,” Nori explained. “I’m in the game 24-7 and I compete.”

That is something the 74th-rated 2024 in the country grew up learning.

“I’ve wanted to play college baseball since back when I first could walk,” Nori reflected. “My grandpa played with the Triple-A Mets and my dad and his brother played D-I baseball. I realized that’s what I wanted to do.”

His grandfather, Fred Nori, brought a lot of encouragement to Nori along the way.

“My grandpa was always telling me I was better than my dad and uncle,” Nori said in reference to his father Michael Nori, who played at Indiana, and uncle Brady Nori, who played at Miami. “It was almost like a challenge, a competition. I looked up to them and I still do now. That helped me get to another level.”

Business is expected to be the college major for Nori, a 3.85 student looking forward to making an impact at the Southeastern Conference West Division school.

“I feel I can contribute early,” pointed out the highly-regarded 16-year-old. “I can bring aggressiveness on the basepaths and be the hardest worker they ever met.”

Admittedly, committing to a program coming off a College World Series title is a privilege according to Nori.

“I find it to be an honor for them to come out and watch me after just winning a national championship,” Nori said. “It feels like a big-time thing to be going out there.”