High school baseball: Medina's Alex Rossetti commits to Akron

In the end, choosing to commit to the University of Akron to continue his baseball career came down to the perfect fit for incoming Medina senior Alex Rossetti. Everything from the campus to the classes to the way the Zips play the game fell in line for him. The Bees shortstop announced his decision on "X" ahead of the start of classes for Medina next week. "I went down there for a visit and I really liked the campus," he said. "I liked the coaches a lot. They went over their offensive and defensive plan with me and I agreed with everything they said. "That's what it really came down to in my decision." Rossetti chose Akron over offers from Ohio, Slippery Rock (Pa.), Gannon and Cuyahoga Community College. He hit a hard-luck .260 with five doubles, one triple, 15 RBIs and 18 runs last season for the Bees, who went 24-6 while reaching the Division I regional finals. Rossetti also was a perfect 4-for-4 on steal attempts and posted an .899 fielding percentage on 79 chances. The Bees needed the best of both sides of Rossetti's game to reach the regional final, as he made a fantastic defensive play to preserve a tie in the top of the seventh and then doubled home Zeylan Yanmaz for a 9-8 victory in the bottom half of the inning. Those types of winning plays are likely what attracted Zips coach Bryan Faulds, who will be entering his third season in charge of Akron and potentially his fourth when Rossetti gets to campus. The Zips went from 15-39 in Faulds' first season to 20-34 in 2024. Akron hit .268 last season, producing 5.5 runs per game. Defensively, the Zips held a collective .975 fielding percentage and turned 102 double plays in 54 contests. "They want to win," said Rossetti, who is leaning toward majoring in business. "They want to compete. I met with a couple of their players and I really liked them. They were cool to be around." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.