CANTON - Up until December of 2021, the recruitment of Alex Laird was minimal. But that did not last long, and within two months the GlenOak High School junior was a college commit.

“It came real fast,” the 20th-rated 2023 shortstop in Ohio said about receiving attention from the next level. “My first interest was in December when I got my first-ever text from Findlay. Then came Wright State and some others out of the blue.”

Toledo, Ohio University and a number of Division II schools showed an interest, but in the end it was Bowling Green that stood out the most to the 17-year-old.

“They knew about me since the beginning of spring ball, but we had no contact,” Laird reflected. “My coach Adrian Abrahamowicz has good connections with them and I sent an email in the fall about one of their camps. I really didn’t have a specific interest there, I was at an OU camp the day before and that was my dream school. But I went to BG the next day. It was a different atmosphere going from one university to another.”

Things clicked between Laird and the Mid-American Conference school in Wood County.

“Number one, I had a couple of family members that attended BG,” Laird explained about becoming enamored with the D-I college two-and-a-half hours from home. “The coaches were easy to talk to and they were able to answer my questions. Plus, I have two guys on my summer ball team that were committed there already, so there’s some familiarity for me.”

BG saw promise in what the 111th-ranked junior in the state can bring to the program.

“I feel what they liked was the combination of my speed and my leadership in the infield,” Laird noted. “I’m vocal and make sure everyone’s on the same page.”

Getting to the point of being a college commit did not come easy.

“I was 5-5ish, …. really small,” the 6-2 185-pounder said in looking back at where he was four years ago. “I still felt I could play, it was just about trying to keep a positive mindset and the mindset to go work hard every day. I just needed to keep getting my numbers better and, hopefully, that would spark interest from a college.

“I definitely grew a lot,” added Laird. “To have perseverance is the key. Maybe you’re the smallest, but I knew if I had the will to outwork anyone and get better, in the end someone would take note of that and give me a chance at the next level.”

Two influences along the way were beneficial in helping make it all happen,  according to Laird.

“Number one is my dad,” Laird said. “He pushes me everyday day no matter what, be it about school or baseball. And Adrian believed in me when I was the smallest one on the field four years ago. That just helped push me.”

Gaining confidence at PBR events also proved helpful.

“The more I went to them the more comfortable I got,” Laird said.”At the first one I was terrible. But at the most recent one I wasn’t nervous at all. The more used to it you get, the better you do.”

To have his recruitment now at an end is a great feeling, admitted Laird, who carries a 4.23 GPA and is considering a major in accounting or finance at Bowling Green.

“It was definitely a very happy moment,” Laird said of making a commitment official. “I was relieved to get the weight off my shoulders, but now I need to work even harder if I want to play there.

“I’m so looking forward to the experience as a whole,” Laird added. “It’s not too far and it’s not too close. I have friends there so I can’t wait to see how much different it is than high school.”