The Nutshell: Small town living, big city thriving

When Flying Squirrels pitcher Seth Lonsway first stepped onto the Ohio State University campus, he entered an institution with an enrollment nearly six times the population of his hometown.

Lonsway’s home of Celina, Ohio, has a population of just over 10,000. Ohio State enrolled 68,100 students during his freshman year of 2018. The campus football venue, Ohio Stadium, has the capacity to hold over 100,000 fans.

Even with the increase in people around him, the adjustment period was brief.

“Knowing that I was only like an hour and a half from home and I could go back and visit every now and then was comforting,” Lonsway said. “It’s different though. The speed, the way of life and the speed of the city versus where I’m from, it’s just different.”

He described growing up in Celina as quiet, peaceful and more of a country-living lifestyle. As a kid, the calendar was divided between soccer and baseball seasons. From September to February, it was outdoor and indoor soccer. March through the end of August was dedicated to baseball.

For most of his childhood, Lonsway was all-in on playing soccer. It wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he devoted more time to baseball with Ohio State starting to take interest. That year, he decided to hang up the soccer cleats and committed to the Buckeyes that fall.

It was Lonsway’s dream school, and he felt it and baseball were the perfect fits.

“I’d say most kids growing up in Ohio are fans of the Buckeyes,” Lonsway said. "Going there and visiting, seeing the facilities, the people and the culture that they were promoting to me, it was a super awesome feeling. It was hard to say no to, like how do you pass this up? Those first few visits were very surreal, and it became a dream come true.”

After his redshirt year in 2018, Lonsway’s 2019 season brought a lot of success. He led all Big Ten freshman pitchers with 126 strikeouts, held opponents to a .214 batting average and was the Buckeyes Opening Day starter for his collegiate debut.

After a shortened 2020 season, he became a team captain for the Buckeyes in 2021, striking out 98 batters in 68 innings. He ranked fourth in the Big Ten conference and 20^th nationally with 12.97 strikeouts per nine innings.

The San Francisco Giants selected him with their 6^th round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft. The news arrived as a shock for Lonsway while he was back home in Celina.

“It was more of a surprise,” Lonsway said. “I don’t think I really heard much and then like a round or two before, (the Giants) reached out and said ‘Hey, this is probably going to happen.’ Oh okay, sweet! I was super excited. The draft process is crazy and hectic, expect the unexpected.”

The draft featured two other pitchers for the Buckeyes, including Garrett Burhenn to the Detroit Tigers in the ninth and Jack Neely to the New York Yankees in the 11^th.

Lonsway has crossed path with a few of his former teammates in his professional career, but he was matched up against one this season for the first time.

Burhenn started the season with the Erie SeaWolves, Double-A affiliate of the Tigers, and was set to start the day after Lonsway was slated during the series. A rainout on Lonsway’s scheduled day pushed the series to a doubleheader the next day, and a conversation with Flying Squirrels manager Dennis Pelfrey. Lonsway wanted to go toe-to-toe with his former college teammate.

“(Pelfrey) said ‘Let’s do it. You guys compete against each other and get after it.’” Lonsway said. “That was a really cool opportunity to be able to do that. As pitchers, we don’t get to match up with your buddy or teammate from college, sometimes the days don’t line up.”

He was able to catch up with Burhenn after the game and even get dinner with him earlier in the series. Another Buckeye teammate, Andrew Magno, was also on the SeaWolves’ roster.

Even with hundreds of players throughout the minor leagues, baseball can bring the small-town lifestyle Lonsway was accustomed to.

“It’s such a small, small world sometimes,” Lonsway said. “The baseball world is crazy. Sometimes you get to cross paths with guys again and it’s really awesome.”

Favorite baseball venue? – The Diamond. My favorite venue as a fan is Ohio Stadium

What is your signature dish? – Smoke chicken or steaks out on the Traeger

Who is the funniest guy in the clubhouse? – Will Bednar or Cameron Cotter, he usually has some good one-liners

What is the best movie of all time? – The Sandlot

Who were your favorite baseball players growing up? – Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter

Most inspirational person in your life? – My parents