FAIRFIELD, Ct. - It was at a school showcase at the University of Virginia with his travel team Baseball U when Austin Howard knew he had something special.

“They had metrics on the scoreboard and nobody was above the low 80s.” the Fairfield Warde High School junior reflected. “I went out and hit 88. That’s when I realized I could do something good. After that I made sure to get out to all the big tournaments with scouts and coaches there.”

One of those tournaments is where Louisville got a glimpse of the 10th-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in New England.

“I noticed them when I was warming up, they were watching someone else and then they started watching me,” Howard noted. “He talked to my coach while I was pitching and we had a call that night, just introductions. They invited me to a camp last month where I went and threw a bullpen and got all my metrics.

“After that they said they needed a week. I called four days later and they gave me an offer. Later that night I called and accepted the offer.”

Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Boston College, West Virginia, Maryland and Rutgers were among the others with interest in the 6-2 205-pounder, but Howard found Louisville to be the right fit for him.

“I like the coaches,” Howard related. “When I went to the camp I met some of the players and they were awesome. The campus and the field were nice, really everything about it was nice.”

But what made it right at this stage of the recruiting process?

“It’s always been my dream to be committed,” Howard said. “It’s just a confidence booster. The time was right.”

It was in eighth grade when Howard began taking the game seriously with a goal of playing baseball at the next level.

“I started working out and I got a pitching coach,” Howard said in reference to Maxx Catapano, a coach with the CT Dawgs.

A lot of improvement took place along the way with credit from Howard going to high school coach Brett Conner, Baseball U CT coach Pat Vigilio, Legend of Doom trainer Shaan Dumas and the Advanced Therapy Performance training facility.

“I’ve improved a lot the last year-and-a-half,” the 23rd-rated sophomore in New England explained. “That’s when I started working with a pitching coach at the age of 13. I hit 73 and thought that was amazing. Now I’m at 88, so that’s a very big improvement. Making sure I was always in the weight room getting stronger and working on my mechanics was big for me.”

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. A little more than a year ago Howard participated in the PBR New England State Games.

“I had never seen a scout before and didn’t do so well,” Howard admitted. “But I think the PBR events prepared me for being in the bigger scenes in front of coaches.”

That eventually led to a commitment to the Atlantic Coast Conference university located 13 hours from his home in Connecticut.

“They like the way I pitch confidently, my mechanics and my presence,” Howard noted about what stood out about him to Louisville.

Relief followed the decision to go make the school in Kentucky his future college home.

“It was like all the pressure was off,” Howard said. “I don’t have to decide any more. It was perfect. Everybody was happy.”

The ninth-ranked 2025 in Connecticut believes Louisville will be pleased with what he can provide the ACC program.

“There are other commits there around my velocity, but I’m hoping to be a starting pitcher,” Howard said. “I just need to keep throwing harder, keep my mechanics right, keep my command like it is now and keep a mound presence so I’m not getting down on myself or others.”

A 3.3 student at Fairfield Warde, the 15-year-old is considering a major in the business field while looking forward to getting out on the ball diamond at Louisville.

“My favorite part is playing in front of big crowds,” Howard concluded. “There are no major pro sports teams around there, so the college game is more popular. It’s going to be fun playing with all those fans.”