TWINSBURG - Tyler Barni is a changed player and colleges are taking notice.

“A year ago I was the same height but 190, real skinny ... and didn’t like lifting,” the Walsh Jesuit junior related. “But I started to attack the weight room and I’m 235 pounds now.”

That has translated to his game according to the 6-6 right-handed pitcher.

“My velo was 81 to 83 last summer but this offseason I’m up near 90,” the 43rd-rated 2022 in Ohio said. “I’ve gained strength and developed more mobility. I’m more athletic now.”

PBR Ohio Director of Scouting, Jordan Chiero, sees a lot of promise in the hard-throwing right-hander, who at the Future Games back in August struck out the side in his first inning on the hill for Team Ohio.

“They don’t make many prospects that are 6-6 and up to 86 this early in their development process,” Chiero said. “As he grows into himself I think you’ll see him develop more consistent pitchability. The athleticism tends to translate later with these 6-6, 6-7 type guys and I don’t think there’s any doubt he has another jump left in him. He has a high upside arm.” 

Barni listed off a dozen schools that he has been talking to the most at this point in time: Ohio State, Xavier, Wright State, Akron, Toledo, Miami and Dayton from his home state along with Penn State, Indiana State, USC-Upstate, Missouri and Lipscomb.

“Penn State and Xavier like my projectability,” Barni said in reference to what stands out to those recruiting his talents. “I’m 6-6 and have a lot of room to grow and add muscle and size.”

The 14th-ranked junior RHP in the state is doing his best to see what he can when it comes to the schools showing interest.

“Over the summer I took an unofficial visit to Xavier and I’ve been to Ohio State before,” Barni noted. “Toledo’s coach gave me my first ever virtual, and coach (Jayson) King at Dayton sent me a drone flyover walk-through. I’ve also played at Lipscomb.”

What the 16-year-old is looking for in a college is “nothing too specific” according to Barni.

“I want to stay relatively close to home, eight to 10 hours away at most,” Barni said. “I want to be surrounded by people I can trust that will put me in an environment to develop. I want a good school where I can get a good degree.”

Two coaches have been vital in helping Barni during his recruitment.

“One person I give a lot of credit is Matt Rosinski, my summer coach,” Barni pointed out. “He does a great job of getting all his players’ names out there. Another is Chris Kaczmar, my high school coach. He does the same stuff. We have a great relationship. I know they’ll both help get my name out there to coaches.”

It was freshman year of high school when the idea of playing at the next level became realistic for the Walsh Jesuit junior.

“I made varsity and there was a senior Nate Stahl, a pitcher now at Indiana,” Barni reflected. “We were having a meeting and coach Kaczmar told me I could be a great player if I put in the work and that there was no reason I couldn’t be as good or better than Nate. I really looked up to Nate as a mentor and when he said that it really sparked me to want to eventually make it to the pros.”

Sports medicine or business are currently being considered as college majors for Barni, a 3.7 student who believes he can be a major asset to whatever program he ends up in.

“I’m a guy that loves to compete,” Barni noted. “I think I’m a great teammate and will bring a good atmosphere to keep the team up.”

Barni has learned a lot during his recruiting process.

“It’s really helped me develop social skills,” Barni said. “When I’m talking to coaches, with all these different backgrounds, I’ve learned to understand what all of these schools are about.”

Now it is a matter of deciding what is the best fit.

“I’d love to be committed by the end of next summer at the latest,” Barni concluded. “The next couple of months I’ll keep working hard in getting video out, making phone calls and then see what happens from there.”