Ryan Ohm will pitch next year at the University of Illinois

FORT DODGE, Iowa One of Ryan Ohms desires for his baseball and educational future was to finish up at an institution down south.

Well, the Century graduate and star pitcher can now cross that off his list, kinda.

At least hell be south of Rochester.

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ADVERTISEMENT On Monday, Ohm said yes to a significant scholarship offer from Big Ten Conference school University of Illinois.

Though his desire to head south wasnt really satisfied, his wish to compete at a high level certainly was.

The Illini are the Big Ten Conferences defending champions.

They finished 18-6 in the league last season, 35-21 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they finished 1-2.

Ohm, who is in his second year at high-powered baseball program Iowa Central Community College, made his commitment to Illinois after visiting the campus and meeting the coaches and players this past weekend.

He came away enamored with pretty much everything he saw and heard.

I am excited to announce my commitment to The University of Illinois @ICCCBaseball @IlliniBaseball pic.twitter.com/rbGd1Q3oFU It was great getting to meet all of the coaches, said Ohm, who had numerous phone conversations with Illinois pitching coach Mark Allen over the summer, the Illini one of the first Division I programs to reach out to him.

The coaches all seemed like great dudes with great personalities.

I loved my visit there.

We went to the football game (Illinois beating Michigan) and got to go on the field.

It all made for a really top-notch experience.

Ohm will be coached by head man Dan Hartleb at Illinois.

Hartleb has been an institution there, now in his 19th season and with a standout career mark of 532-398-1.

Illinois has made a big commitment to baseball under Hartleb, including building the Susan and Clint Atkins Baseball Training Center, an $8 million facility that was completed in 2022.

ADVERTISEMENT Ohm, a standout baseball and basketball player at Century, made a big commitment to baseball when he left for two-year college Iowa Central.

Hes developed greatly there, going from a 6-3, 180-pound freshman who threw in the mid-80s, to a 6-3, 200-pound sophomore who now tops out at 91 and has refined all of his pitches.

Ohm finished 8-1 last season at Iowa Central with a 3.5 ERA.

The Illinois coaches appreciated those marks and all that they believed Ohm can bring.

They like that I can throw strikes with any pitch, said Ohm, who has a fastball, a slider, a changeup and a cutter in his arsenal.

They also think I have room to grow.

Theyve seen me make another jump this fall and are excited to get me in there and work with me.

Ohm, who also considered the University of Minnesota and a handful of other colleges, is glad the recruiting process is over.

And he is thrilled with the prospect of playing Big Ten baseball.

This feels good, Ohm said.

This is what Ive been working toward for the last couple of years.

I was pretty raw out of high school.

But being able to develop (at Iowa Central) has been good for me.

Its given me the opportunity to really develop.

When Illinois offered me, that was something I couldnt pass up..

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