WESTLAKE - The recruiting process was “slow for me” according to Pauly Mancino.

“I got to it late,” the Saint Ignatius senior said. “For sure, I was under-recruited. I didn’t get any offers until my junior year.”

But finally, colleges jumped on board with interest from East Tennessee State, High Point and Davidson along with an offer from Bowling Green.

“Coaches could see my PBR numbers and that showed them where I can help at the next level,” Mancino related. “Seeing me play also was really helpful.”

That proved to be the selling point for Ohio University.

“They came to see me at Crusher Stadium and liked what they saw,” the 58th-ranked senior in the state said. “I went to the Cincinnati Tournament of Champions Aug. 6 and 7 and they came there to see me pitch. A few days later they offered and I accepted that night.”

An offer as a two-way player helped make the decision easy.

“It was pretty important to me,” Mancino said of the chance to play in the field as well as pitch. “It gives me more of an opportunity to play early on.”

An outfielder with 6.74 time in the 60 along with 99 exit velocity and 96 outfield velo, Mancino cherishes the idea of doing both in college.

“I want to try and be two-way for as long as I can, or at least until the coach tells me otherwise,” Mancino noted.

There was more that stood out about Ohio U to the 17-year-old from Westlake.

“I like the coach a lot and the campus is beautiful,” Mancino pointed out. “After we left, my parents and I talked and we knew it was the place I wanted to be at.”

Ohio University is confident the 5-11 175-pounder can benefit the program.

“My athletic ability stood out to them,” Mancino related. “They felt they could do a lot with me as a two-way.”

Hard work that brought improvement to his game helped the cause in getting recognized by college coaches.

“I put in a lot of hours with constant lifting and hitting with coaches to be the best player I can possibly be,” Mancino explained. “I’ve tried to maintain a good swing and make sure my fundamentals are good while cleaning things up to make the larger things easier.”

His father, Paul, who played baseball collegiately, was a big factor along the way.

“My dad was a left-handed pitcher who played college baseball at Northwestern,” Mancino said. “At a young age it became my goal to play college baseball and, hopefully, go pro.

“He’s helped me out a lot,” Mancino continued. “He’s always been there taking me places I need to go. He helped make my decision. He knew Ohio would be good for me and encouraged me to go there.”

Saint Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor, who has had a “connection with (Ohio U head) coach (Craig) Moore for a long time,” is another that has had a major influence according to Mancino, along with T3 Warhawks’ coach Ryan Rua.

“This is a huge relief for me and my family,” Mancino said about making a commitment to OU. “It was a stressful process waiting for schools with the transfer portal so large, you never knew.”

A 3.54 student planning to major in business, Mancino has a strong belief that he can be a major asset to Ohio University baseball.

“I’ll bring them a lot of athleticism,” pointed out Mancino, who plays center field and pitches at Saint Ignatius. “I also come from a winning high school program so I hope to bring that and help compete to win the MAC. I want to help them in many different ways.”

That is just part of what Mancino is excited about when it comes to playing at the next level.

“I’m looking forward to being in the college baseball atmosphere,” Mancino said. “There will be good competition that I think I can handle. I’m going to try and make an impact early.”