FAIRFIELD, Ct. - Grady Golier knew what he was looking for in a college.

“For me, academic schools were a priority,” the Fairfield Prep junior pointed out. “I was trying to find a school that combined academics first, with athletics.”

The 39th-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in New England found it at Lehigh.

“At the end of summer I was looking for camps and I went to a camp there and hit 89 a couple of times,” Golier reflected about his initial contact with the university located in Bethlehem, Pa. “Coach (Sean) Buchanan talked to me and our first conversation off the mound we spoke the same language.

“We had a couple more calls and they offered. I took an official tour then and I loved the campus. I looked into the academics there, I’m interested in business and engineering programs, and I met with the coaches. They took me around and it’s a place I can see myself succeeding.”

Buchanan, the pitching coach, and other baseball staff members viewed the 6-3 205-pounder to have a lot of potential at the next level.

“They really like my size,” Golier noted. “I had a high spin rate at camp and they saw something to build off. They like how I command pitches and like me as a person, too.”

The commitment brought a close to a recruiting process that had some difficulties along the way.

“It was going well but then Covid hit and many of the conversations ended,” Golier related. “It was tough for me, but I kept my head up and trusted the process. A lot of interest came this past summer from Patriot and A-10 schools. That’s when Lehigh offered and I jumped on it. No other school had the combination they did of academics and athletics.”

The desire to play college baseball is only a recent development.

“I started playing with Baseball U the summer going into my freshman year and went in with the intent of playing college baseball,” Golier said. “When Covid hit, I started training at home, watching videos and really got into it. I was going to go into this full go.”

Supportive parents and Baseball U coaches, including Pat Vigilio, were among those that helped the cause for the 19th-ranked junior right-handed pitcher from Connecticut, as well as pitching coach Jimmy Dunn.

“When I started working with him everything started to click,” Golier noted about Dunn. “I also went to a PBR showcase with Baseball U and then another PBR event before the summer season and that helped me a lot. PBR stats are verified and that’s nice to show coaches. It shows how fast I throw and the spin rate is a nice stat to have.”

A 3.6 student in high school, Golier is confident with what he can bring on the field to the Patriot League program.

“I’m a big guy who’s strong already, but with their training and expertise I can get even stronger,” the 129th-ranked 2023 in New England explained. “I’m a gamer and I like to compete, so I’ll definitely bring them some competitiveness.”

It has the 17-year-old excited about what lies ahead at a university 21/2 hours from home.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people from around the country and playing there four years and learning about nutrition and sleep and what goes into being a college baseball player,,” Golier said. “All the time and work I’ll be putting in, I feel I’m going to blossom as a player.”

Admittedly, Golier is happy to have reached the end of the recruiting process.

“It was relieving, just a really happy moment,” Golier noted. “I found everything I wanted in a school and it’s nice to end the process. I’m really confident, not only in what it has to offer in baseball but also what it has to offer as a school.”