LOVELAND - Little did Kellan Klosterman know that starting off with two sliders in his pitching performance at the Future Games would play a small role in finding a college home.

“Notre Dame liked that I have confidence throwing all my pitches, especially the slider,” Klosterman said about what brought a connection between the Moeller junior and the Atlantic Coast Conference school in South Bend, Ind. “When I started in the Future Games my first two pitches were sliders. They said they don’t normally see that. That caught their eyes with my confidence in the pitch.”

There was more that stood out to Notre Dame about the 84th-ranked 2024 right-handed pitcher in the nation.

“They like that I have room to grow with my weight,” pointed out the 6-2 165-pounder. “They also like my mental makeup and that I have the will to be the hardest worker.”

The Future Games was the first time Klosterman had contact with Notre Dame.

“I talked with them that night after I pitched and we talked pretty consistently until Sept. 1,” Klosterman explained. “I took an official visit on Sept. 10 and loved it. I took some other visits, but after that I knew Notre Dame was the place for me.”

It came down to Iowa and Notre Dame for the fourth-rated junior RHP in Ohio, who had gone to camps at Wake Forest and Virginia prior to Sept. 1 and later took a visit to Ohio State.

“The first thing that stuck out to me about Notre Dame was the tradition of the school, it’s something unmatched,” Klosterman noted. “It’s similar to Moeller High School. Combined with the coaching staff being personable, they want to win but they give it to you straight. You have to earn it.”

Surprisingly, Klosterman had not considered the idea of playing at the next level until just recently.

“Before my recruitment for college baseball started it wasn’t even in the back of my mind,” admitted the sixth-ranked junior in the state. “It sprouted up out of nowhere. As a kid I was hurt all the time and wasn’t that good. But then I started improving and fell in love with college baseball.”

Improvement came in two parts according to Klosterman.

“I got much stronger and was able to move better,” the 17-year-old explained. “Josh Elleman at Elite Sports helped with my training and eating, everything on the physical side of baseball. I also learned about analytics, learning how and when to use a pitch and how to get pitches to move.”

The 264th-rated 2024 in the country had additional help along the baseball journey to where he is today.

“Eric Minshall has been my pitching coach since the Covid days of 2020,” Klosterman noted. “He helped with my mechanics and everything pitching wise. PBR was also very helpful. They have some really good people there that are well connected. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

For Kloserman, the recruiting process began the summer going into sophomore year playing 15U ball.

“There wasn’t too much buzz before that, but then everything went crazy,” Klosterman said. “After my outing at the Future Games I was on the phone until 9 at night. It felt good to be wanted, but it was stressful, especially toward the end. This is a decision that affects the rest of your life. I just looked at what every school had to offer and Notre Dame won out.”

A commitment, admittedly, brought a feeling of relief.

“I’m glad my recruitment ended how it did,” Klosterman explained. “I know I’m going to get an education and degree from a top 20 institution in America which is important to me.”

Klosterman, who carries a 3.7 unweighted GPA at Moeller, is looking to major in either business or marketing at the ACC university located four hours from home.

“It all started for me with 15U baseball the summer of 2021 when I started to turn from a thrower to a pitcher and learned about the intricacies of the game,” Klosterman related. “A year before I was inconsistent. There were moments I was good, but others I fell to the level of the competition.”

Now Klosterman looks forward to what the opposition will present to him at Notre Dame.

“I’m ready for the competition the ACC has to offer,” Klosterman said. “That’s hard to beat. I’m also looking to grow a network of friends at Notre Dame which will help with connections after graduating.”

But first there is a matter of aiding the cause to a baseball program that has won regional championships the last two years while advancing to the College World Series this past season.

“I’ll be a guy that consistently brings energy to the team, a guy that wants to win,” Klosterman said. “Whether I never pitch or set a record for most innings thrown, I want to be a good teammate and a good example for everyone around me by pushing myself. I want to be the guy that helps the team the most.”