​By Zach Pressnell 

​

Name: Trey Mantle 

Birthday: July 31, 2002 

Year: Sophomore 

Height: 6’1 

Weight: 155 lbs 

Position: Right-Handed Pitcher 

Fun Fact: He lost no hitter on the final out of the game after a groundball ricocheted off his foot for a base hit 

 

Introducing Trey Mantle 

 

Trey Mantle is a sophomore pitcher on the Bethany College baseball team. He grew up in Groveport, Ohio where he played multiple sports during his childhood. None of these sports changed his life the way baseball did. He fell in love with the sport at an early age and was continuously one of the most talented kids on the field. He dominated the baseball field through recreational leagues, travel baseball leagues, middle school baseball, and high school baseball. 

 

Trey seemed to be cruising through his baseball career fairly easily for a majority of his life. That was until things began to get bumpy during the back half of his high school career. 

 

Adversity follows and effects everybody in life. This can be evidently seen in the last few years of Trey’s life. 

 

This is the Trey Mantle story. 

 

COVID Cancels Senior Year 

 

Trey was coming off an incredible Junior year of high school baseball. He had begun to gather the attention of a few Division 2 and Division 3 colleges in the Midwest, largely due to his junior season. In this season, Trey started 11 games, winning 7 of them and throwing 9 complete games. He tallied 40 strikeouts in 71 innings while holding an insanely impressive 1.40 ERA. 

 

On February 6th, 2020, Trey announced his commitment to Urbana University, a Division 2 program, on an athletic scholarship to play baseball. He was currently on top of the world.  

 

That was until COVID-19 struck. In the blink of an eye, the high school senior class of 2020 had their entire spring semester moved online. This move subsequently canceled the baseball season. Just like that, his high school baseball career was over. 

 

Urbana Closes 

 

This sudden cancelation of the high school baseball season ended many kids playing careers. But, this wasn’t the case for Trey. He still had his 4 years at Urbana University to look forward to.  

 

Adversity wasted no time to make its way back into Treys life. The very next day, Urbana University announced that they were closing their doors. Forever. 

 

This announcement sent shock waves through the life of Trey Mantle. 

 

“The day Urbana closed, I was pretty set on attending Columbus State and just going to school and working. Not playing baseball. It was a pretty tough time in my life because, ever since I was young, my ultimate goal was to play college baseball. Within a couple of days, my senior season was canceled and my future college shut down. It seemed like I was worth nothing and my dreams went straight down the drain.” Mantle said. 

 

The Last 2 Years 

 

“Luckily, Coach [Justin Thomas] said he would take an extra arm without ever seeing me play in person,” Mantle said. 

 

Over the last two years, Trey Mantle has been able to use that adversity to fuel him. He cemented himself in the Bison starting pitching rotation as a true freshman, making 9 starts, winning 5 of those, and throwing 3 complete games. He threw over 50 innings and held a very respectable 3.27 ERA. Not too bad for somebody who was dealt a very difficult hand just 365 days before the end of his Collegiate debut. 

 

Going into his sophomore season, Mantle has high hopes. After being named All-PAC Honorable Mention as a freshman, he has his sights set even higher for this year. 

 

“A few goals I have for myself include a sub 3 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and 7 wins on the mound, Mantle said. “As a team, we want to be a playoff team and to win a playoff game at the very least.”

 

Trey Mantle is a must follow name for the Bethany Bison. He is primed for a big year as he transitions to becoming a leader on the Bison pitching staff. Don’t be surprised if his name is attached to more awards at the conclusion of the 2022 season.