OXFORD - It was the beginning of the school year when Kael Gahan made a decision about his baseball future.

“I wasn’t doing as much as I should have been,” the Lake Orion High School junior said about his commitment to the recruiting process. “I picked it up after that.”

With the help of his travel team, USA Prime, along with videos sent out to schools, interest in the ninth-ranked 2024 left-handed pitcher in Michigan began to accumulate with Oakland, Notre Dame, Dayton and Memphis all becoming enamored with the 16-year-old. While the first three brought intrigue to the 16-year-old, it was the latter that attracted Gahan the most and once an offer was presented it did not take long to make a decision.

“I went to a camp there in early January and before that was talking to the recruiting coordinator,” Gahan explained about his connection with Memphis. “I pitched well and after that talked to the head coach and the pitching coach. A week after I got an offer. I had a lot of other good offers, but Memphis stood out.

“It’s away from home and it will be exciting to play down south away from all the snow,” Gahan added. “I like all the coaches and agree with the philosophies of the pitching coach. The field is great. I like everything about it.”

It was a surprisingly quick process for the 98th-rated junior in Michigan, who was “looking for a competitive program, coaches I connect with, a good campus and good academics” when it came to his future home.

“PBR has definitely been good through my process with helping get my name out there and then me sending video out,” Gahan related.

Improvement in his game also proved beneficial for the 6-1 185-pound southpaw.

“I really hit the weight room and gained a lot of weight,” Gahan noted. “I went from skinny to good size now. I also went to the Texas Baseball Ranch in November to help with mechanics. It was a three-day thing finding tweeks in my delivery.”

Memphis found the end result to be right for the program.

“The main thing they like is my deception and my mechanics,” Gahan said.

A commitment with the Division I university in Tennessee capped off a desire to play college baseball that began at a young age.

“Since I started playing I’ve wanted to play at the highest level that I could,” Gahan explained. “Last winter, the first time I hit 85, it started to become realistic that I could play at the highest level.”

Once Gahan became more committed to his recruiting process, interest followed.

“I’m grateful to have colleges reach out to me, they all were really good,” Gahan said. “It was interesting and fun, but stressful at times. The first offer was pretty cool to say I got a Division I offer.”

But it was the last offer, from Memphis, that was the most memorable.

“What a great feeling for me and my family,” Gahan related. “We knew where I wanted to go and getting that offer is what I wanted.”

A 4.0 student at Lake Orian, Gahan is confident about what he can provide the American Athletic Conference program that is now under the direction of first-year head coach Kerrick Jackson.

“I think I can bring a good arm that can get swings and misses and get outs at a good level,” pointed out Gahan.

The high school junior, who is leaning toward a major in business at Memphis, is excited about what the future holds at the university located 11 hours from home.

“I’m looking forward to pitching at the D-I level for a good program and good coaches,” Gahan concluded. “I can’t wait to face all the good competition at that level.”