January 16, 2023

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s a threatening combination for the opposition when Josiah Romeo, a tall, 6-foot-3 right-hander takes the mound.

He refuses to be rattled by adversity, and can smack a 91-mph fastball into the catcher's mitt.

It’s those skills that had many schools in the U.S. calling the 18-year-old who plays for the Mississauga Tigers. Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida - with Romeo deciding to commit to Florida State late last year.

Before he was even on Florida’s radar, that calm demeanor is something that Greg Byron, Mississauga Tigers coach, recognized in him early on. Critical pitching situations, when the delivery, the location, and the type of pitch can make or break the game are when Romeo shines, Byron said.

He’s just built for those high stakes moments.

“He seems to thrive in the limelight, when the pressure is on and when expectations are high,” Byron said. “He seems to have the ability to kind of be as cool as the underside of the pillow so to speak.”

It's in part why he got the call up to the Tigers 18U Nationals squad in 2022 as a 16-year-old, becoming their youngest player on the roster. It reminds Byron of one other athlete in particular – Josh Naylor, who also went through the Tigers program and now plays for the Cleveland Guardians. As a 13-year-old, he remembers Naylor was playing against the 18-year-olds, and it didn’t faze him. It was the same with Romeo when he took the field with the older guys, he said.

“He’s got that calmness about him,” he said. “Jo just kind of had a knack for those [big] moments.”

He’s the first Tigers player that Sean Travers, head of player development, said he’s seen commit to Florida State. He created so much excitement around himself and his performance “that all the schools in the country really started calling on him,” Travers said.

The first people Romeo (Caledon, Ont.) told about the good news were his parents.

After witnessing first hand the hours he’s practiced independently, working with trainers in the gym, working with his team and coaches, it was a full circle moment to see him commit to Florida State, said his mom Jennifer Romeo.

“It was really really exciting and a proud moment as parents to see him accomplish part of his dream,” she said.

The pitcher/shortstop has really improved his athleticism over the past three years with the Tigers. He has a fastball that reaches between 88-91 mph, a jump from where he was not long ago at 78-81. He’s also shaved a second off of his 60-yard dash time, from 7.8 to 6.8.

A conversation with Travers and his parents is what first prompted Romeo to join the team, and work on himself on and off the field. That conversation was very honest, with Travers telling the then 15-year-old he needed to get into better shape.

That’s a moment he thinks back to, and what first really motivated him to get serious about his training and ultimately his future in baseball, he said.

Travers also recalls that moment, and how Romeo didn’t back down.

“He wasn't scared of it, he looked me in the eyes and said ‘that's what I want to do,’” he said.

With the work he’s put in since joining the Tigers to improve his body, he has all the skills he needs to go far in the sport, Travers said.

He has the proper mindset, he’s fundamentally sound, and he’s a superior competitor.

“He's always had the confidence and he's always had the compete, and now for me though he's the total package,” he said.

Going far in the sport is exactly what Romeo wants to do. From an enthusiastic eight-year-old belting his first home run, to a driven 18-year-old, baseball is what his life revolves around.

After celebrating his 18th birthday on Thursday and getting his G2 license, the first place he drove himself solo was Tigers practice.

It’s the daily work he’s putting in now for his ultimate goal in the future, to get drafted, work his way through the minor leagues, and make his MLB debut.

“That's the life I want to live,” Romeo said.

“I want to eat, sleep and breathe baseball, and do whatever I can to make it to the big leagues.”