ANN ARBOR – During his college search, Jordan Nwogu was looking for the right fit athletically, but more importantly, the right fit academically.
The Ann Arbor Pioneer senior had received interest from several Division 1 schools during the past year to play either baseball or football.
However, when the University of Michigan offered him a scholarship to play baseball, Nwogu’s search quickly ended. He committed to Michigan on Sept. 3 – during the Wolverines’ football opener.
“Michigan always has been my dream school,” Nwogu said. “And with their academics — I’ve always wanted to go into engineering — it was just the best fit.
“I was talking to Michigan for a while, hoping they would offer. When Michigan offered, I immediately was like, ‘that’s where I’m going to go.’ It made my decision pretty easy.”
Nwogu had offers from Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Air Force and Brown to play football, but said he was more passionate about baseball. Michigan’s reputable engineering programs also were an important factor in his decision.
“I love to design things,” Nwogu said of his interest in engineering. “My dad is an engineer, and I’ve always been good at math.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound outfielder, who possesses a 3.97 GPA, also is pretty good on the diamond — evident by hitting .453 last season with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.
“Jordan is an outstanding baseball player but is as equally outstanding as a student and person,” Pioneer baseball coach Jerry Holley said. “His athletic skills are amazing. He is a five-tool player — has great fielding abilities, has a great arm, an accurate arm. He hits for average, hits for power and runs extremely well.”
Nwogu, entering his third season on varsity, will be counted on even more after the Pioneers lost seven starters from last year’s team that finished 21-14. Holley said he knows he will be up to the challenge.
“The thing I like about Jordan is he keeps getting better and better,” Holley said. “He is a kid who every year has impressed us. Although he just finished football season, he has already taken a leadership role. Has been very active in terms of talking with the coaching staff about what he felt would be helpful for us. He always seems to want to work really hard to make himself better and the team better.”
