NORTH ROBINSON — Gavin Feichtner is a central part of coach David Sheldon’s Colonel Crawford basketball team which is set to contend for a Northern 10 Athletic Conference league title.
But his first love is baseball and that is what Feichtner will spend his post-high school days playing, as he signed his letter of intent to pitch for the Tiffin University Dragons beginning next year.
“It means a lot,” Feichtner said of the signing. “My dad’s always pushed me from a young age, playing on travel ball teams and pushing me to go to the next level. So, it feels amazing.”
Feichtner helped lead the Eagles to a 22-8 record last year, good for second place in the N10 and an appearance in the Division III regional tournament.
“It’s always exciting to see a player sign with a university,” Colonel Crawford baseball coach Dan Gorbett said. “I think he’s a diamond in the rough. I think Tiffin got a steal there. His best days are ahead of him.”
Tiffin University is a member of the Great Midwestern Athletic Conference. Other member schools include Alderson Broaddus, Cedarville, Findlay, Hillsdale, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lake Erie, Malone, Ohio Dominican, Ohio Valley, Trevecca Nazarene, Ursuline and Walsh.
Feichtner had other suitors but the decision was easy in his mind.
“Once I stepped on Tiffin (campus), I knew that was the school for me,” Feichtner said. “It’s not too big and it has a good league competition.”
While his field of study is still undecided, Feichtner indicates that it will be either exercise science or sports management.
“The coaching staff is amazing. The whole Tiffin community is a good fit,” Feichtner said. “They’re all welcoming — the class directors, the labs — they look perfect for me.”
While he likes playing basketball and is looking forward to the upcoming season, Feichtner knows that baseball is his future.
“I just had a passion for baseball, and I knew that was the sport for me,” Feichtner said.
Gorbett is looking forward to Feichtner’s senior year at Colonel Crawford.
“Last year, every outing, he really improved,” Gorbett said. “Hopefully, he continues that. I’m looking forward to having a big spring with him next year.”
Now that his college future is secured, Gorbett expects Feichtner to be relaxed for his final high school year.
“I think it’s nice for a high school player to have this done and settled,” Gorbett said. “He can just play and have fun and there’s no pressure on him.
“Once he gets in college and just can concentrate on baseball, that’s where he’s going to make some big jumps,” Gorbett added.