Amherst ace Harrison Schneider commits to play baseball at Bowling Green

Amherst pitcher Harrison Schneider proved to be one of the top high school pitchers in Ohio in the spring. He'll have the chance to show what he can do on a higher level. Schneider, who was the starting pitcher in the Comets' Division II state semifinal win over New Albany, announced Thursday on X (formerly Twitter) that he committed to play Division I baseball at Bowling Green State University. "I can't even comprehend how much it means to me that I'm going D-I," said Schneider, who's entering his senior season. "It's means the world to know I achieved my dream of becoming a Division I pitcher." Schneider set the bar high as a freshman when he threw a no-hitter against Mentor in his first varsity start. The earlier expectations were shattered in the spring when Schneider went 9-0 with a 1.24 ERA while striking out 69 in 60 2/3 innings for the state runner-up Comets. Those numbers earned Schneider first-team All-Ohio, first-team All-Southwestern Conference and the Lorain County Player of the Years honors. "Last year he was a legit No. 1, not just for us, but in the state," Amherst coach Matt Rositano said. "At the high school level he's been sitting 88-89 (mph) and he's been up to 91. He has the ability to throw a fastball by hitters and he has a really good slider. His change-up was the pitch we saw the most improvement on." Rositano said it was Schneider's hard work that transformed him for that freshman with potential into a senior who has refined his craft and is ready to take it to the next level. "When you have a freshman come up and throw a no-hitter against a team like that it sticks in your head that this kid has a chance to be something special," Rositano said. "Going into his junior year you could really see his commitment and dedication to get bigger, get stronger, increase his velocity and work on his off-speed stuff." It was Schneider's arm that drew the attention of college scouts, but he proved to be equally talented at the plate, hitting .358 with two home runs, nine doubles and 24 RBIs. "After my sophomore year I got on a different workout plan and I committed myself to baseball," Schneider said. "And my goal was to have a better season my junior year and that eventually led me on the road to being a Division I commit." Schneider found everything he was looking for in a college at Bowling Green. "A big reason why I chose Bowling Green is the coaching plus it's close enough to home where if I have to get home in an emergency I can," Schneider said. "And it's pretty cool that my mom went there, I get to go to the same school as her. "I am glad I committed early. Bowling Green is the place I wanted to go and I'm glad to to have the opportunity to play there. Now I can focus on my grades, training and getting better for next year." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.