SAGAMORE HILLS TOWNSHIP - Connor Preisel has a lot going for him.

The Holy Name junior carries a 4.1 GPA with honors in collegiate courses. This past fall the 6-2 225-pound defensive end earned first-team all-state honors on a regional finalist football squad that recorded three shutouts during the season. Things got even better for the left-handed pitcher this winter with a recent commitment to play baseball at Miami University in Oxford.

“Initially, I started talking to Miami with coach (Matthew) Passauer, the pitching coach,” Preisel reflected. “He and Ben Simon have a good relationship and Ben introduced me to him. His first questions to me were about what kind of person I am. We talked about football and the role I played being one of the leaders on that team. He asked what I was looking for in a college and it progressed from there for about a month. He must have liked what he heard.”

A strong work ethic was one of the attractions in the eyes of Preisel.

“I’m in the facility about every day of the week working out,” the seventh-rated 2022 southpaw in Ohio said. “Not being in school in person has been an advantage. I’ve made a big jump from the start of that until now.”

The 16-year-old has a fastball that is now nearing 90 on the radar gun and colleges like Miami as well as Toledo and Akron took notice.

“Through the pandemic I did a Driveline program,” Preisel explained. “Coming into summer I was dialed in and probably had my best pitching season ever. Then I went into football and put baseball aside. Now I’m back to work with baseball.”

Admittedly, playing at the next level was not in the picture until only a short time ago.

“College baseball didn’t cross my mind until only a few months ago,” noted Preisel, who at the recent PBR Ohio Procase event had the top fastball among left-handed pitchers at 89.26 mph. “At the end of the summer season I’m like … ‘wow, I can do this.’ It never clicked until the pandemic. But I worked my butt off and was able to see the results at the end of the summer season.

“I knew I was good at football and I’d have opportunities there, but I never thought about trying to take baseball to the next level. I’m still open to football, but that decision is for later on if something were to come.”

For now, the focus ahead is on baseball after a recent trip to the Miami campus, four hours away from home in northeast Ohio.

“As soon as I was on campus I loved it,” Preisel related. “As far as academics, it’s known as a Public Ivy (League), so to be able to go to that, it sets me up for a successful world in baseball and in the real world.”

When it comes to baseball, the 49th-ranked junior in the state likes what he heard in talking to the coaches at Miami during his recruitment.

“I love their views of high ethics and high morals,” Preisel said. “They push their guys both in the classroom and on the field. I love that.”

The second-rated uncommitted 2022 left-handed pitcher in Ohio prior to his decision to attend Miami believes he will fit right in at the Mid-American Conference school.

“I work hard every day and I’ll bring in a strong work ethic to the program,” Preisel explained. “I love to do my stuff and push others to stay up to their highest level of potential.”

Preisel points to his father, Greg, as playing a pivotal role in that regard.

“From start to finish my father has been my biggest influence,” Precisely noted. “He played D-III football at John Carroll and has always pushed me to be the best I can be no matter what I’m doing, football or baseball. He’s one of the people that kept me on track during the pandemic and would give me a kick in the butt when I needed it.

“Ben Simon is another who was vital in everything that’s happened to me. He’s an unbelievable coach and understands the game of baseball’s analytic side of things.”

Once a commitment was made, Preisel admits to plenty of delightment.

“There was a lot of excitement on both sides,” Preisel said. “Coach Passauer was excited as well as we were as a family. To have the process over and not have to worry about it senior year is exciting. I can focus on being the best I can be when I step on the field at Miami.”