AP Canfield junior AJ Havrilla watches the ball fly during a game at Boardman last spring. The corner infielder hit for .338 with 25 RBIs as a sophomore and recently committed to Ohio State.

Home is where you feel like you belong.

The atmosphere, the vibe, the energy, sometimes it just matches you.

Following plenty of digital communication, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing recruiting to be held virtually versus in person, Canfield junior AJ Havrilla knew he was in the right place once he was able to finally set foot on campus at Ohio State.

Havrilla knew it was the place to be.

“For me, Ohio State just felt like home from the first time I went there, all the coaches, the facilities, the tools to make a better player but also a better person there, it was something I couldn’t pass up on,” Havrilla said. “It felt like me there, it felt like it was for me, it fits my personality, and it felt like home for sure.”

As a second baseman for the Cardinals, he batted .338 with 25 RBI, along with a team-high 33 runs scored during his sophomore campaign on a Canfield team that posted a mark of 24-1, but title hopes fell short following a 3-1 loss to Salem in a regional semifinal.

What stands out about Harvilla statistically is the fact that he produced at a high level with no prior varsity high school experience, what would have been his freshman season was canceled in 2020.

It requires a special type of athlete to produce under the adversity and lack of varsity experience.

“He pushes himself every day, he’s a team leader, he doesn’t take a day off,” said Canfield coach Gary Knittle. “A lot of times, we’re like, hey, you need a break, but he will outwork anyone, his discipline at the plate is unbelievable.

“I always like to say that he’s an old soul, he listens to ’50s music, he’s just very different, humble, and makes everyone better around him, and always has a smile on his face, and when you have a kid like that, you’re blessed.”

With an on-base percentage of .517, along with only one error on 61 defensive assists, Harvrilla gained the attention of programs such as Michigan State, Youngstown State, and Toledo.

But it was the Buckeyes that had everything Havrilla was looking for, a program that already features a pair of local products from South Range in Jacob Gehring and Trey Pancake.

There may have been lost time, but that didn’t phase the Canfield junior.

“The funny thing about it is that his freshman year, he would have been our three hitter, and he would have been in our lineup every day,” Knittle said. “That’s saying a lot, what some people don’t understand is that we went 24-0 last year, and we were going to be young, and we thought that we would take our lumps.

“But, he solidified that role as a three guy and in any program, any team, at any division in high school baseball, that’s saying a lot, the fact that he wasn’t able to his freshman year, he did as a sophomore, he was like a leader, you don’t find too many sophomores that come in and be the leader of your team, and that’s exactly what he did for us.”

On the surface, baseball appears to be a summer sport, but athletes compete in varsity, summer travel ball, and Fall ball, it’s constantly a revolving door, and a grind like none other.

It’s that grind that makes Harvilla, someone that’s held a bat as far back as he can remember going.

“Failure happens in baseball more times than success, so it’s really a mental game too,” Havrilla commented. “Being mentally strong, grinding through some tough times, and obviously not every time something is falling for you, but you just have to stay strong in this game, it’s taught me a lot.

“Staying strong in baseball, it correlates into life, and things in life that happen, it switches over.”

With his verbal commitment under his belt, there’s still plenty of unfinished business to be taken care of during his final two seasons donning the red, white and black of Canfield.

Following such a memorable season, there’s a bar set exceptionally high, one that Harvilla and his teammates embrace with open arms.

“Our main goal in high school right now is to keep winning successfully like last year and bring home a state championship,” Harvilla said. “We got to go game by game, and not get ahead of ourselves, but we definitely have potential this year and I’m very excited for our team this year.”

sports@vindy.com