TOLEDO - Connor Barber understands things don’t always go as planned.

“I’m not going to get my hopes up,” the Whitmer High School junior said about being told he would start as a college freshman at Toledo. “I’ve got to keep working. The dream can be taken away at any time.”

Barber feared that could be the case before receiving an offer from Toledo.

“I was sending out emails but nobody was getting back to me,” the ninth-rated 2024 third baseman in Ohio reflected about his recruiting process that at one point in time seemed to be going nowhere. “When no one was getting back to me I was thinking, maybe I don’t have the potential to play college baseball. I decided I just had to work harder and maybe one day somebody would reach out.

“I worked on my offense,” Barber continued. “The problem was that I was guessing at the plate. Defense was my biggest thing before, but I worked on my hitting every day watching videos and learning drills to help me sit back on the ball.”

The 6-5 210-pounder also began to receive added exposure through PBR and this past summer Toledo became the first school to show an interest.

“I played there and had a few good games hitting wise and defensive wise and they said they’d be contacting me on Sept. 1,” reflected Barber, who also turned 17 on that date. “We set up a time to visit, I went there, it went well and they offered me.”

Toledo found a lot to like in the 118th-ranked junior in the state.

“They said I played good defense and on the offensive side I had power,” Barber related. “They saw that I’m a good team player, I bring good energy in the dugout and I’m a hard worker.”

Barber discovered staying close to home for college to be right for him.

“I want to travel around, but being closer to family will be nice,” said the third-rated 2024 in Ohio to commit to the Mid-American Conference university in his hometown. “They have really good tutoring for my schooling which will be good for me because my academics are not up to par.”

Admittedly, relief came when Toledo showed an interest in making his college baseball dream a reality.

“I knew when Toledo reached out I had the potential to play for a big college,” noted Barber, who points to two areas he can bring to the UT program.

“Leadership and positivity,” Barber said of what he believes he can provide at the next level in addition to what he does on the field.

But there is an understanding to not settle for where he is now.

“Mainly maturity,” Barber admitted about what he needs to gain to be successful in college. “I’m working on recognizing how to become a team player, leader and hard worker.”

The Whitmer junior points to his peers as big influences in his game.

“They motivate me,” Barber explained. “When I see better players than me, like Oliver Service and Reggie Sharpe, I want to be like them and I work hard to strive for their greatness.”

Barber, who plans to major in construction management at UT, is excited to have the recruiting process come to an end.

“I don’t feel I got enough exposure and people didn’t know who I was, so it felt right on the spot to have this opportunity and commit,” Barber said. “It felt good to know my hard work was starting to pay off and knowing the work I’m doing is working.”

While the long-range goal according to Barber is the MLB, there is a lot to anticipate when it comes to playing at the next level.

“I’m looking forward to just the overall experience of college baseball, getting to know more people and getting recognized by others for being the player I am,” Barber concluded.