Submitted photo / Ohio Athletic Communications. Ben Slanker, a former Ohio and Canfield baseball star, walks to the plate during a game against Miami (Ohio) on April 26 in Athens.

After excelling at the high school level at Canfield, Ben Slanker thought he was poised and ready to succeed right away when he arrived in Athens at Ohio University last year.

But he quickly discovered that making the transition from high school to college would be a bigger adjustment than anticipated.

“I just think I was blindsided when I went into my freshman year,” Slanker said. “I don’t think I was prepared, personally. I think that’s my fault. I just realized how different college baseball is to high school and travel ball. It’s a pretty big deal and it takes a lot more than I thought.”

However, despite the difficult freshman season in 2024, in which he only played in 14 games and batted .179, Slanker bounced back to put together a break-out sophomore campaign this past spring for the Bobcats.

He proved to be one of the best power hitters in the country, finishing tied for 15th in all of Division I with 21 home runs. He also had the highest batting average (.302) of the team’s primary starters and also led Ohio in total hits (55) and RBIs (69), while earning First-Team All-Mid American Conference (MAC) honors.

Slanker credits a change in his mental approach for his step forward this season.

“Our (former) assistant coach JT Heenan really put me in a good spot to produce and do what I wanted to do at the plate,” Slanker said. “He always put me in the right mindset and he coached me in the way that I like to be coached.

“Mentally last year, I was not in a good place. My mind was going all over the place, spinning in circles, all that kind of stuff. I think just finding the right mindset, taking a deep breath and resetting was the biggest thing for me, along with a few slight adjustments in my swing.”

After his freshman year, Slanker got to work with his Ohio coaches. He “hit the reset button” and almost started over from scratch.

Unsatisfied with his play, he embraced the coaching he was given and did what he needed to do to excel at the plate.

Also, before Ohio opened its season in February, Slanker returned home to Canfield for the Christmas holiday break, where he touched base with Ricky Havrilla, one of Slanker’s former Cardinals teammates that played baseball at Tiffin and is now a graduate assistant coach on the Dragons’ coaching staff.

“He sat me down and got me in the right mindset and taught me a few things,” Slanker said. “I can’t thank all of them enough. I think that’s the biggest reason for my progress this year.”

Despite Slanker’s individual success, though, the Bobcats struggled as a team, finishing with a 14-37 overall record and in a tie for last place in the MAC standings.

As a result, Ohio opted to make a coaching change after a couple of down years, relieving Bobcats head coach Craig Moore and his assistants of their duties.

That led Slanker and several of his former Ohio teammates to enter the transfer portal after the season.

“I love Athens, I love Ohio U. and I loved all the coaches. This was nothing on them. I just think it’s the right decision for me and my family going forward,” Slanker said. “I don’t think I would be in this position without experiencing those ups and downs at Ohio with the coaches and all that stuff. I’m very grateful for what they have done for me.”

Given his performances this year, Slanker received plenty of interest in the portal, hearing from powerhouse programs like Tennessee, Georgia and Coastal Carolina.

But one stood out above the others and Slanker committed to Louisville on May 28. Now, he’ll have a chance to again don the same colors and mascot that he once wore at Canfield.

“I’ve always dreamed of playing for Louisville as a kid,” Slanker said. “Because I’m from Canfield, growing up, we were always the Cardinals and we used the logo, so I was always around that. I just think it’s a full-circle moment, and I’m very happy it ended up this way, for sure.”

During his time in the portal, Slanker’s phone was often blowing up with various coaches reaching out, but he was quickly able to build a relationship with Louisville’s coaching staff.

“That really set it in stone for me. I could tell they all mean well and they’re great guys,” Slanker said. “Doing a little research, I could tell they’ve been there for awhile and they’ve had very much success. So I think it was a no-brainer for me going forward.”

Over the past several weeks, the Cardinals made an NCAA tournament run to the Men’s College World Series before eventually bowing out to Coastal Carolina earlier this week.

That gave Slanker the opportunity to watch his future school and witness some of his future teammates.

“Me and my mother, every game we watched together,” Slanker said. “It’s always a dream of yours to play and go to the College World Series in Omaha. Watching the Louisville team play, it’s just surreal to me that this could actually happen and I could fulfill my dream of playing in Omaha.”