MASON - Although Noah Samol has never thrown a varsity pitch in a high school game, the Mason senior is committed to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“My whole life I’ve dreamed of playing college baseball,” the 6-7 197-pound left-hander said after deciding on Georgia Tech as a future home. “I didn’t always think it would be D-I or a Power 5, so this is a dream come true.”

The commitment did not come without uncertainty.

“There definitely was some doubt through the whole process,” Samol admitted.

After all, the 86th-ranked 2022 in Ohio has not yet seen the field for perennial state power Mason.

“My baseball journey is different than a lot of kids,” Samol reflected. “I didn’t play sophomore year because of Covid and junior year I missed because of Tommy John.”

That surgery took place on July 10, 2020 - the summer between 10th and 11th grade.

“My recruiting process was super slow during rehab,” Samol pointed out.

But it did not prevent the southpaw from knowing - and hoping - where he would end up at the next level.

“It’s always been really important to me that the school I go to I would want to go there without baseball,” Samol explained. “In thinking of a place to go to without baseball, Georgia Tech has always been number one because of the engineering program.”

In adding baseball to the picture, more boxes were checked with Georgia Tech.

“I’ve wanted to get away from playing in the rainy, cold weather,” Samol said. “Plus, they also have a winning tradition in baseball.”

It became a reality once he was back on the mound this summer, a year after surgery.

“I threw one bullpen at the end of June and hit 94,” noted Samol. “I talked to a ton of schools after that. I was actually close to making a commitment but I was waiting on Georgia Tech. I want to major in aerospace engineering, plus coach (Danny) Hall is very successful there.”

A connection between Yankees’ scout Mike Gibbons and Georgia Tech pitching coach Danny Borrell helped the cause for Samol, who visited Notre Dame, Kentucky, Ohio State, Alabama and Wake Forest before making his college decision official.

“Mike Gibbons called coach Borrell after seeing me and said this guy you will want to see,” Samol said. “After that is when coach Borrell called me for the first time and I talked to coach Hall three days later.”

But a visit to the Atlanta campus was needed.

“I wanted to get on campus and meet the coaches in person,” related Samol, who met with Hall, Borrell and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator James Ramsey. “I was going to an Alabama East Coast Pro Day and I ended up visiting Georgia Tech before that. I knew right then it was the right place for me. After throwing at the East Coast, more coaches talked to me but after I got back from there I called and told Georgia Tech I was coming.”

It, admittedly, capped a whirlwind year for Samol.

“Georgia Tech has always been my dream school, but if you told me a year ago I would end up there I wouldn’t have believed it,” the 17-year-old said.

Samol would also likely be skeptical about hitting 95 on the radar, his top speed to date.

“That’s the golden question that everyone is asking me,” Samol said of a fastball up 10 miles an hour from before Tommy John. “It wasn’t some magic pill. When I threw 85 I was two inches shorter and 35 pounds lighter. My mechanics were worse and I wasn’t very strong.”

Leg work, trainer Josh Elleman (Elite Strength and Conditioning), coaches Scott Stocker (Midland Braves pitching coach), Greg Williams (private pitching coach) and Curt Bly (Mason head coach), YouTube videos on mechanics, a Driveline program and a “much better routine” are all credited by Samol with making a big difference.

“It all culminated in my velo jump,” Samol said. “I believed I’d hit 90 after the countless hours of work, but never thought I’d jump 10 miles an hour. I’d never heard of that.”

The first time back on a mound came in May, with June 30 the date of the memorable bullpen at a Midland Braves game.

“My goal was to hit 90 which I’d never hit in my life,” Samol reflected. “I sat 91-92 and topped at 94. I was blown away. Gibbons was at the game to watch Max Klare from St. Xavier and he heard about my pen with other scouts. I was on the phone behind the dugout for the rest of the game.”

Boston College, Air Force, Tulane and Duke were additional schools with a strong interest before Wake Forest and Georgia Tech became the final two choices for Samol, who carries a 4.51 GPA at Mason.

“Last summer before Tommy John I didn’t have a weekly throwing plan,” Samol added. “This year I have a more organized schedule which has helped me stay on track with nutrition, sleep, throwing, lifting and all of that.”

What a journey it has been so far for the hard-throwing left-hander.