GALENA - Jacob Tabor made a big impression on Jordan Chiero back in early June at the Ohio Top Prospect Games.

“Continues to creep toward that giant ceiling of his,” the PBR Ohio Director of Scouting said. “Velo continues to tick up, while showing an improved breaking ball. Expect him to continue to make jumps as he fills out a 6-foot-3 frame that still has plenty of room to add.”

Soon after, colleges were becoming enamoured with the fourth-rated 2023 left-handed pitcher in Ohio.

“I was at Olentangy Orange for an outing with Triple Crown and five or six scouts were there looking at me,” Tabor reflected back to a pitching performance in late June. “Toledo was one of them with (head) coach Rob (Reinstetle) there.”

One Division I offer came right after while Toledo gave one to Tabor a month later.

A week after that, Tabor pitched at the Future Games with Reinstetle and UT pitching coach John Sheehan in attendance.

“After the Future Games they got back to me,” related Tabor. “Toledo was at the top of the list for me. Caden Konczak and Brayden Whiteare are both at Toledo and they’re like family to me.”

Even an injury, which will require surgery in another week, did not interfere with the connection between Tabor and the Mid-American Conference school.

“Toledo stuck with me,” Tabor noted. “I ended up going on a visit and committed.”

That came in mid-September.

“Guidance,” is the word used by the 16-year-old about what stood out with Toledo. “Even on my visit they made it clear how they would guide me in my recovery and how they would use me. I liked the intention of the program as a whole when it comes to development.

“The facilities were also good,” Tabor added. “I didn’t expect it. But what I really liked was that they stayed in contact with me and we made a personal connection.”

A 6-3 197-pound southpaw is an obvious attraction to a college and Toledo was no different.

“They liked the fact that I’m a lefty,” Tabor noted. “It never hurts to have a lefty. They also like my projectability, my arm path with my slider and curve and my accuracy with offspeed. If I can get more velo on my fastball after my injury and put on weight there’s a high ceiling.”

Admittedly, upcoming surgery on Oct. 11 is difficult to think about.

“It’s not going to be a short recovery ahead,” Tabor said. “We just have to figure out the best route of recovery.”

The 36th-rated 2023 in the state is confident about what lies ahead after his final two years at Olentangy Orange.

“I feel I’ll be able to earn a starting role,” Tabor said about what he will bring to Toledo. “Will it be easy? No, but I’m going to work my butt off to try and win the MAC and get us to Regionals or Super Regionals. I want to build on something special there.”

His parents for their “emotional support” are among the major influences for Tabor, who also pointed to coaches Mike Stafford (guided him since eighth grade), Josh Moss (head coach Launch Baseball) and Tom Marker (head coach Olentangy Orange) with being big help along the baseball journey that has Tabor ready for the next step.

“When I was young I always wanted to play major league baseball but then in fifth or sixth grade I narrowed it down to Division I baseball,” Tabor related. “It all started to become reality my freshman year of high school in the fall. That was eye-opening. I didn’t know my skill level until then when schools started to reach out.”

The recruiting process was far from easy, however, according to Tabor, who carries a 3.96 GPA and plans to major in kinesiology and exercise science.

“It had its ups and downs,” Tabor said about his recruitment. “During Covid it was tough to get your name out there but with the resources we have with coach Marker we were able to get everything out. At the beginning of summer it picked up heavily at the Top Prospect Games when a couple of schools reached out. But then I had the injury.”

That did not stop Tabor from a commitment with Toledo.

“It’s all kind of a dream come true,” Tabor concluded. “It was emotional for all of us with the time and money we put into it, but it all paid off. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to fully comprehend it until I step on campus, but for now I’m just going to let it set in and enjoy the experience.”