CINCINNATI - It was a month before the start of school when uncertainty hit Max Tramontana.

“I was asked to get on a zoom call with Lafayette and they said the head coach was being fired,” the recent Moeller graduate reflected back to late July. “At that time I said I was open to looking at other schools. It was late, but based on the season I had I was confident it would work out.”

It did not take long for the Lafayette decommit to find a new home, though it did not happen without a little tension.

“It was pretty nerve-racking,” Tramontana admitted. “The next day I had a bunch of calls, but the administration at a couple of the schools that reached out wouldn’t let me in at this point,”

However, the anxiety regarding his future was about to end.

“I was very surprised and mad that day of the zoom call, I loved the Lafayette coaches, but when schools started reaching out to me it eased the stress,” Tramontana said. 

Suddenly schools like Iowa and Tulane had an interest and soon after visits to each the 13th-rated 2022 right-handed pitcher in Ohio was headed to play college baseball in the Big 10.

“They had some connections with one of my assistant coaches at high school and they had a spot that needed filled,” Tramontana said about Iowa. “I talked with three of their coaches the day I visited and I was offered two days later.”

The first-team all-state pitcher, who was 8-0 with a 0.86 ERA and 0.,91 WHIP for Moeller this past season, fit in nicely with what Iowa was in search of at this point in time.

“They were looking for another arm,” explained the 6-2 155-pounder, who also credited his high school mentor Tim Held with helping the cause in his late recruitment. “There were tons in the transfer portal but I think I was above some of the JUCOs they were considering. They thought I could develop well with them. They also had a lot of drafted players open up spots.”

That was something that stood out to the 51st-ranked 2022 in the state.

“I love the pitching development at Iowa,” Tramontana noted. “They said a lot of their top guys get drafted so there are a lot of opportunities in the program. I’ll start out in the bullpen and then go from there and battle to win a spot.”

A strong senior year at Moeller proved beneficial in finding a new college home according to the just-turned 19-year-old.

“I feel I got better in every category this year,” Tramontana pointed out. “I can really command my offspeed. I was training at ProForce and I also started going to Alpha. They have a really good culture there which helped me out a lot. Now I hope to continue to put on strength, develop a slider and keep improving.”

Already at college, with an Aug. 14 reporting date - a day before his birthday, Tramontana is exuberant about what lies ahead.

“I’m definitely excited to play in the Big 10,” the Moeller product said. “I grew up an Ohio State fan so it will be fun competing in the Big 10. I feel the league is on a good path with USC and UCLA joining and it’s going to be fun to travel all across the country.”

There is no uncertainty for Tramontana when it comes to the exhilaration of playing in the Big 10, unlike what he went through the past month.

“I knew I had to go through this fast and find a place as quick as I could,” related Tramontana, who is planning on a major in engineering after finishing up his high school days with a 4.49 GPA. “I told schools I wanted this done in a week. I was a little stressed, but it’s eased down a bit.”