OAKVILLE, Ontario - “It’s always been a dream to get a high-level education while playing the game I love.”

That aspiration has been achieved by Jacob Malinauskas after a commitment to Missouri.

“I visited Missouri on our fall trip,” related the third-rated junior left-handed pitcher from Ontario. “It has a really nice campus and the baseball program is really good. After the trip I had a little jump in velocity and they gave me an offer. It took me a couple days to decide, but it felt like a really good fit for me. It was fast moving from there.”

The 6-3 205-pound southpaw was throwing 82-84, topping at 85, at the start of the fall trip, but increased his fastball speed to 85-87, topping at 88, a month later.

“I credit Matt Mills and the Royals,” Malinauskas said in reference to his travel team the past four years, the Ontario Royals. “Grade nine, when I started with the Royals, is when college baseball became a priority and a goal of mine. Last year I decided to reclassify and work hard toward that goal. A jump in velocity made it more of a realistic goal.”

Ivy League schools as well as colleges visited on the fall trip were others being considered by Malinauskas before deciding on the Southeastern Conference school in Columbia.

“They have a couple Canadians on their roster,” the 44th-ranked 2023 from Ontario noted about reasons he selected Missouri. “It’s been a goal of mine to play in the SEC, which is the top conference in baseball, so overall it’s a great opportunity.”

Malinauskas had assistance along the way in reaching his objective of playing at the next level.

“My recruiting coordinator, Jonathan Kovack, helped in getting video to college coaches and from there it was a waiting game,” Malinauskas said in reference to Kovack, who also serves as the pitching coordinator with the Royals.

PBR also proved beneficial during the process according to Malinauskas.

“Back in February 2020 I did a PBR and I consider it a benchmark for me,” Malinauskas reflected. “I needed those numbers and then with the Covid lockdown I got a bit bigger and bit stronger with a home gym and improved my mechanics.”

More work is still ahead.

“I’m strong for my 215-pound frame but I need to move more efficiently and be more athletic,” Malinauskas pointed out. “The jump I had came from moving faster and more efficiently.”

Malinauskas, who carries a 98 percent grade average in high school at Garth Webb and is looking at a major in business in college, believes he will bring a lot to the program at Missouri, which is 13 hours from his home in Oakville.

“I’ll be someone that’s ready to compete,” Malinauskas noted. “It’s hard to tell what all I can bring in the future, but I’m excited to join the program and absorb the high-level pitching coaching they offer and see where it takes me from there.”

While Malinauskas is exuberant about his future home, Missouri is thrilled with what the 17-year-old can bring to the program.

“They said my best strength is that I command three solid pitches,” Malinauskas said. “They also like that I have a good understanding of what to throw, when to throw it depending on the hitter and that I’m able to produce weak contact.”

The future brings high expectations for Malinauskas

“I’m looking forward to the life of a student-athlete, the grind that college baseball entails and playing the best competition in America,” Malinauskas concluded.