Rotello likes the prospects of D-I baseball at Fort Wayne

Lucas Rotello 3B / RHP / Cincinnati Hills Christian, OH / 2019

LEBANON - It was early summer-ball season when Lucas Rotello discovered another college out there.

“The night before Marshall came to watch and I had a good day,” Rotello reflected back on his recruitment. “The next day I went 3-for-3 with a home run, triple and double. A school I had never heard of before was there. They started talking to me more. They saw me play one more game.”

The interest became mutual in this unknown college - Purdue University Fort Wayne.

“I went there three times,” noted the 5-11 220-pound left-handed hitting corner infielder, whose previous visits had been to Cedarville, Marietta and Earlham. “One thing that stood out the most were the coaches and how inviting they were. They talked about how they would do their best to promote me as a player and told me everything about the school.

“I knew it was the right fit right when I walked on campus. I could see myself there for the long term.”

An offer came in late August and in the middle of October the 336th-ranked senior in Ohio committed to the Division I school that plays in the Summit League, which in the sport of baseball has been dominated by Oral Roberts, an NCAA Tournament participant 19 times in the past 21 years.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play college baseball but I didn’t start getting real interest until my sophomore year of high school,” Rotello said. “That was when I realized I was good enough. My sophomore year I played varsity and realized I can complete with the older kids. The pitching was a challenge, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”

The chance to play D-I college baseball brings a great deal of satisfaction to the 17-year-old from Lebanon.