GRAND RAPIDS - Jonah St. Antoine made a big impression on the University of Pittsburgh at Prep Baseball Report’s premier event of the year.

“They contacted me right after the Future Games,” reflected the junior from Forest Hills Northern High School in reference to the 10th annual showcase now held in Georgia. “The director of PBR put out a tweet about the top 20 to watch and that’s when they saw me. They liked how I performed during the combine and they watched me play my three games.

“They liked how I was hitting and my play up the middle,” the sixth-rated 2023 shortstop in Michigan continued. “That’s what I’ll be going there to do.”

Mid-American Conference schools Western Michigan, Miami and Bowling Green were also intrigued with St. Antoine along with Georgia State and Duke, but the Atlantic Coast Conference school in Pennsylvania proved to be the choice for the left-handed hitting middle infielder.

“I talked to them three more times after the Future Games and the third time they offered,” St. Antoine said of Pitt,which is located six hours from his home in Grand Rapids. “I took a couple weeks, went on a visit and liked what I saw. I got a lot more calls when Sept. 1 came around and went on some unofficial visits, but Pitt seemed more interested. That’s when I committed.”

With that the desire to play at the next level had come full circle.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was young,” St. Antoine said of playing after high school. “It really hit me when I was 12 or 13 and went to the College World Series. That’s when I knew I had to make it happen.

“It’s part of why I committed to Pitt,” St. Antoine added. “With the coaching staff they have and the players they have, I think they can make it there.”

The 18th-ranked 2023 in Michigan believes he can help that happen in a program that has been around since 1869, the oldest recorded sport at the university.

“I see myself bringing a lot of leadership qualities,” St. Antoine pointed out. “I do a lot of leadership-type things at school and I want to bring that to Pitt, along with my bat.”

Improvement has helped the 5-11 170-pounder get to the point of being a commit to a school in the ACC.

“I’ve done a lot in the last year,” St. Antoine related. “I’ve been training with Power Strength to get faster and stronger, I also went to play with Dbacks (Elite) in Detroit which positioned me to get better to become a Division I athlete by playing better competition.”

Multiple sources have provided assistance and advice along the way, including a sibling as well as Aaron Wilson, PBR Michigan Director of Scouting .

“A couple years ago I was being overlooked and my brother really pushed me to work to get better,” St.Antoine explained. “Aaron helped me a lot in the recruiting process, getting me to the Future Games. He’s been a very big part of it.”

Travel coach Steve Avery and Dbacks owner Mike Maki are also credited with playing vital roles for the 3.5 GPA student considering a major in either business or the medical field at Pittsburgh.

“I really like the academic part and the sports part at Pitt,” St. Antoine noted. “They put a lot of effort into academic aid with tutors and I like that. The field and the facilities and the program are also nice.”

To finally make a commitment admittedly brings relief.

“It was a fun process but very stressful,” St. Antoine said. “I had to make some decisions quickly but it was nice to get to see all the colleges. That was fun.

“But when it was all over, the feeling was great. I got a lot off my chest and now I don’t have to worry about being committed. I’m finally going to college to play somewhere.”