Kenten Egbert RHP / 3B / Tipp city, OH / 2019

TIPP CITY - It appeared the dream to play Division I college baseball was not going to materialize.

“It’s been a roller coaster year,” Kenten Egbert admitted. “I was dead set on D-I but I reached out to some coaches and didn’t get much of a response. I thought maybe I’ll reach out to D-II or D-III. I kind of had to get my pride out of the way and put it on hold and maybe go the D-II or D-III route.”

But then it happened. Playing for the Ohio Elite 16U team as a fill-in pitcher, Egbert drew interest.

“My high school coach is the coach of that team and he’s an alum of Miami,” the 6-2 195-pound right-handed pitcher said. “He contacted them and asked them to come watch me. I didn’t have my best game, but I did alright.

“They followed up and I went on a visit. A few weeks later I took another visit. There were a few more phone calls and then I decided.”

Egbert committed to play Division I baseball at the Mid-American Conference school.

“This means the world to me,” Egbert said. “It’s been my dream since I found out what college was. Everybody sets their sights on that. To say I’m doing that is huge to me.

“I can’t thank people around me enough … my parents and grandparents made everything I’ve done possible, from going to showcases to playing on good summer teams.”

Eastern Kentucky, Xavier and Ohio University were among colleges that had been in contact earlier in the recruiting process for Egbert, who participated in the Top Prospect Games in 2017.