AURORA - Nate Fletcher was looking at colleges across the country. A visit to the northeast for the first time in his life is where the eighth-rated 2024 left-handed pitcher in Ohio found a future home.

“I was in close contact with Illinois, Army, CS Northridge and West Virginia,” related the Aurora High School junior. “I’ve been on a lot of college visits, but when I went to Rhode Island it was definitely the best.”

A connection came when Fletcher sent a DM on Twitter to the University of Rhode Island pitching coach David Fischer.

“After that we talked a bunch,” Fletcher reflected. “I went for a visit and did a camp there. A couple of days later I got an offer and a couple of days after that I committed. I liked everything about it. I have family (aunt and uncle) that lives in Maine so while I was there I went to visit family and I went to a beach.”

There was more that stood out to Fletcher, who had never been further northeast than New York prior to his visit.

“Awesome food, an awesome program and awesome coaches,” Fletcher said in listing off things that he liked on his trip. “It felt like family.”

Rhode Island found the 6-3 185-pounder to be a great fit.

“They like that I’m a left-handed pitcher, I’m tall and I’m a good kid,” Fletcher said. “I feel like I’ve got it all.”

The thought of playing at the next level began at the age of 12 for Fletcher and the prospects continued to improve from there.

“When I was 13 I knew I had the potential to play college baseball,” Fletcher explained.  “By the time I was playing 15U I knew it and by last season it was just a matter of where am I going. My first ever conversation with a coach was when I was 13. That boosted my career to start thinking about college. More interest came in the next season and in 15U it started piling up.

“It was fun,” Fletcher continued. “I liked talking to different coaches and seeing different perspectives of things. It helped give me an idea of what I wanted. The recruiting process was awesome and PBR definitely helped me. I was a top-five rated left-handed pitcher and I used that for some leverage.”

There was also a matter of getting better on the mound.

“One thing that has improved is my movement on pitches,” Fletcher pointed out. “Velo’s important, but it’s not what’s going to get you to pitch well. Most colleges see 90 all the time, but it’s movement … that’s the biggest thing. I’ve also become more physically powerful.”

Two individuals stand out to Fletcher in helping make him the player he is today.

“Coach (Matt) Rosinski helped with my recruitment and with anything you can ever imagine,” Fletcher said in reference to his summer coach. “Brian Chad played with my uncle and has given me pitching lessons since I was 11, since I knew I had potential. Those two guys have been awesome along the way.”

It has the 16-year-old confident about what he can provide the Atlantic 10 Conference program.

“Dominance,” Fletcher said. “No matter who it is, I believe I can physically be dominant. It’s just malling through teams. I believe I can win with the help of my team.

“I’m someone who will be a good teammate and do what’s best for the team,” Fletcher added. “I want to help the program win. I feel we can win the A-10 championship.”

That idea has the 76nd-ranked 2024 in Ohio excited about his future playing college ball at a university nine hours from his home in Aurora.

“I’m looking forward to winning a championship, winning games and building connections,” Fletcher said. “I want to make friends and make long-lasting connections. I want my coaches to be somebody I can count on even outside of baseball.”

A commitment was as good as it gets according to Fletcher.

“It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life,” Fletcher noted. “The relief and the assurance I’m going to be playing Division I baseball at a school that I like is amazing. It’s something I look forward to every day.”