PERRYSBURG - With parents that played sports in college at the University of  Toledo, it only seemed natural for TJ Takats to follow suit. A recent commitment finds the Perrysburg sophomore headed to play in the Mid-American Conference where his parents were standouts back in the ’90s. However, the destination is just down the road at Bowling Green.

“I’m thankful to live up to their standards,” Takats said of his father Tom, who played first base at UT, and mother Mimi, a basketball player for the Rockets. “It means a lot to follow my parents and play college athletics. I knew I’d have to work hard to do it.”

Help came, fittingly, from right at home.

“My dad showed me how to play the game the right way,” Takats explained. “There were a lot of times he had to fix my swing or help me on the mound, too.”

It all worked out in the end for the second-ranked 2023 left-handed pitcher in Ohio, who also had offers from Toledo and Wright State as well as interest from Penn State, Indiana, Ohio State and Kent State.

“I started talking to BG in the summer,” Takats reflected. “I talked to (head) coach (Kyle) Hallock every time and I liked that. I got a nice offer, it’s close to home and that led to the commitment.”

Takats knew a great extent about the university after checking out the campus in the summer.

“I knew the sports facilities from before, but I hadn’t seen the academic buildings,” Takats reflected. “I like that it’s a small university so I can get around.”

There was more that stood out to the 17th-rated sophomore in the state.

“I really like the coaches,” Takats explained. “In my phone calls, I had a really good connection with coach Hallock and coach (Ryan) Shay and I think I’ll have a good chance to play there early. I also like that it’s near home so my grandparents and family members can come see me play.”

BG saw a lot of promise in the 6-3 185-pound left-handed hitting southpaw.

“They like my swing and that I can pitch,” Takats noted. “I’m going there as a two-way which is very important to me. I really like to hit, play the field and pitch. I just like to compete.”

The desire to play at the next level started at a young age.

“Ever since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to play college football, baseball or basketball,” Takats reflected. “College baseball came into my mind at 12U. I was pretty good for a young age. That’s when I started to get a little bigger and was blowing the ball past people as a pitcher.”

Hard work followed and strides were made in his game.

“I’ve improved a lot since I gained weight,” Takats said. “My hitting has always been there, but my velo has improved once I’ve gotten bigger, faster and stronger.”

Colleges began to take notice, including Bowling Green.

“They saw me at PBR and one showcase,” Takats related. “I did well there with a single off a good pitcher and I also hit a home run. That’s basically where they saw me, plus in some video from the summer.”

Admittedly, there was some concern about exposure with covid-19 limiting the ability to be seen.

“It was pretty hard,” Takats said. “I never thought this would all come as early as it did. I thought it would be junior or senior year.”

Help along the way helped speed up the process.

“Coach (Jimmy) Onate helped in getting my name out there and with talking to college coaches,” Takats said in reference to his summer coach with Bo Jackson Elite. “My high school coach, Dave Hall, also helped with talking and getting my name out to coaches about all three aspects in my game - pitching, hitting and fielding.”

Ohio State, Wright State and BG were the final three choices for Takats before it was narrowed down to Wright State and Bowling Green a week later.

“I sat down with my parents and we decided we wanted to commit by January-ish,” the 16-year-old explained about making the decision as a sophomore. “We didn’t want to take up any more of the coach’s time and drag them on. Plus, if others started to commit we didn’t know if the offers would stay out there.”

Architecture or business are potential college majors for the 3.63 student, a quarterback on the Northern Lakes League championship football team.

“I didn’t want it to be stressful and always thinking about it, so I wanted to commit,” Takats said.  “Now I’m set to go to college and I can focus on my high school sports. I’m looking forward to baseball which is coming up shortly.”