HILLIARD - “Bumpy” is how Kyle Kesel described the beginning of his recruitment.

“In December of 2020 I broke my tibia and fibula during basketball and was out for 3 1/2 months,” the Hilliard Darby junior reflected. “The injury made me want to work harder for baseball.”

It did not take long for the work to be translated onto the field.

“At the start of summer I wanted to show I was past the injury and I went to a PBR event and hit 86,” the 20th-rated 2023 RHP in Ohio related. “After that I sent out emails to schools that were interested,”

Intrigue by the college an hour from home - Wright State - resulted in a camp invite.

“After that they said they wanted to see me more,” Kesel noted. “Throughout the season I continued to work and in my second bullpen of the offseason (in the middle of December) hit 89. They saw my tweet and invited me to a prospect camp last month.”

An offer followed and Kesel then made it official with an acceptance on Jan. 25.

“Wright State was always my number one,” explained the 6-3 210-pounder, who during the recruiting process had contact with schools from the Horizon League and MAC but took no visits. “I like the culture and the work ethic of the program and the more I heard about Wright State the more I saw myself fitting in. I like the coaches and how they develop guys. They do stuff the right way and guys get drafted.”

The commitment to Wright State brought the realization of a long-time goal of Kesel.

“Playing college baseball has been a dream since I started,” the 16-year-old admitted. “The summer of 2020 I started to see it was becoming a reality when I saw a new pitching coach, Clayton Colvin. He took my pitching to a new level. I was throwing 74 the summer of 2020 and with his help developed a throwing program and weight lifting program. I know so much more thanks to him.”

Still, the injury brought a setback … if only momentarily.

“That was definitely hard,” Kesel said. “It only made me want to work harder through the recovery and get back working. It took a lot of perseverance and, with the help of my high school and summer coaches and Clayton, getting back on the field was very exciting.”

As was the Southern Ohio Top Prospect Games in June when Kesel made a statement.

“High follow. 6-foot-2, long limbed with a ton of room to add,” PBR Ohio Director of Scouting Jordan Chiero said after the event. “Up to 86 with more to come. K’d his fair share in two innings of work.”

The 52nd-ranked 2023 in Ohio believes he can only get better.

“I’m a big competitor with a strong work ethic,” Kesel said. “I’m a guy that works hard and will do whatever he has to do to help his team win.”

Kesel pointed to his family as playing a key role in “helping achieve my dream” and also credited Dan Moss with Triple Crown Royals with playing a big part in it all.

“He helped a lot by reaching out,” Kesel said. “That means more to me than he’ll ever know. I’m very appreciative to him and also to Clayton for helping take my pitching to another level.”

Business will be the college major for Kesel, a 3.76 GPA student ecstatic about being committed.

“It feels awesome,” Kesel concluded. “All the hard work and perseverance paid off. But I have more work to do to be able to compete at a college I’m proud to call home.

“I’m looking forward to going out and competing,” Kesel added about his thoughts on pitching in college. “That’s what I like to do. I’m excited to develop there and ready to go out and win some games.”