GREENVILLE - “I know how to pitch, that’s probably what attracted them,” Warren Hartzell said of Wright State, where the Greenville senior has made a commitment. “I’ve pitched since I was 11 and I’ve had a good mentor.”

Improvement continues for the 6-0 195-pound right-handed hurler.

“I’ve added a slider, that’s my strikeout pitch,” Hartzell noted. “I’m also throwing harder. I’ve gotten to 91.”

That is a big change from just a few years ago.

“I was in the low-80s as a freshman, 86-87 last year and now I’m 91 this year,” Hartzell said. “I’ve done a lot of throwing and conditioning with my arm. My arm strength went up as it became more conditioned. I’ve also done long toss, plyos and a lot of mechanical work.”

It has helped Hartzell overcome a late beginning in the game.

“I didn’t start until I was 11-years-old,” Hartzell related. “A buddy in school invited me to play. I’d never played before, I’d only played football. Ever since I’ve wanted to play college baseball.”

That is now a reality thanks to a mentor, Frosty Brown, the long-time head baseball coach with the Troy American Legion.

“He’s helped me a lot with my mechanics,” Hartzell said. “He taught me how to pitch and I fell in love with it.”

Charleston was the only other college that showed much interest, with Wright State proving to be the perfect fit according to Hartzell.

“They didn’t come to see me much, they just heard about me,” Hartzell reflected. “I remember the one time they left before I even came in to pitch in the game which was kind of different.”

But the attraction between the two built enough for an offer and commitment to happen.

“I love how close it is to me,” pointed out Hartzell, who lives an hour from the university. “I love that they’ve been at the top of their conference almost every year. This year they had all those draft picks. That means they are developing players well. And they’re still beating quality programs with all the draft picks.

“I also like that they don’t over recruit,” added Hartzell, who just turned 18 last week. “That’s another big thing for me.”

The idea of playing college baseball at the Division I level is very significant to Hartzell, a 3.8 student with plans of majoring in business at Wright State.

“I’ve always wanted to follow the path of my uncle who played at Georgia Southern,” Hartzell said. “This really means a lot to be able to do that and to play D-I.”