NILES — West Virginia Black Bears infielder Tyler Pettorini is well aware that the Pettorini family name is baseball royalty in Wooster.

Tyler’s grandfather, Tim Pettorini played at Bowling Green, and later coached at the College of Wooster, where he racked up 1,243 wins and 19 conference titles over a 38-year career. Tyler’s father, Tim, Jr., was a high school standout who played for his dad at the College of Wooster. Tyler’s uncle, Terry, played at Ohio State.

Now, Tyler is striving to become king of the Pettorini baseball family.

Pettorini is a 2021 graduate of Wooster High and a recent graduate of Ohio State University. Following a stellar four-year baseball career with the Buckeyes, Pettorini hopes his time in the MLB Draft League will lead to a career at the professional level.

“It’s always been my goal to play in the big leagues,” Pettorini said. “I know I still have a long way to go. I know that the odds are always stacked against you in terms of reaching the ultimate level. But at the same time I feel like I have put myself in a position to where I can achieve those goals.

“I have given it my all to this point. Now, to be in a position where I can showcase my talents to scouts ahead of the July draft, I can’t really ask for anything more. I just have to continue to do my thing.”

Pettorini’s “thing” has always been hitting. As a sophomore in high school Pettorini was a first-team All-Ohio selection with a .538 batting average. It was during his sophomore year that Pettorini committed to Ohio State.

After having his junior year eliminated due to COVID-19, Pettorini duplicated his All-State honors as a senior, batting .450.

“I’ve always been able to find a way to find hits,” Pettorini said. “I go up to the plate hunting fastballs. I do a lot of swinging and I’ve been fortunate to turn it into a lot of hits.”

At Ohio State, Pettorini played in 187 games, including 171 starts. This past spring in his senior season he batted .324 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. He led the team in batting average, hits (66) and home runs. He also swiped 10 bases in 12 attempts.

“It was my lifelong dream to play for Ohio State, and the experience was everything I hoped for and more,” Pettorini said. “It’s a first-class program. You’re getting the best of everything in terms of a program giving you every opportunity to succeed. You’re playing with and against the best of the best.”

Pettorini’s four years with the Buckeyes presented some challenges. He noted that he graduated with just one other player from his freshman class. He also played for three different head coaches during the four-year span.

“Players come and go, they move around, that’s just the current state of college sports,” Pettorini said. “With the coaching changes, I feel like I’ve always been very coachable, and besides that, I loved all the coaches I had at OSU.”

Pettorini has since been a regular in the Black Bears’ starting lineup, including Friday’s game against the Scrappers. He entered the contest with a .345 batting average – third best in the Draft League.

“Being here has given me the opportunity to face some really competitive pitching, and this league has provided me with everything I need to succeed,” Pettorini said. “We’re just going to keep plugging away, see what happens later this month (in the draft) and go from there.

“It’s been a great ride. It’s been a blast. I want it to continue into the next level.”