Next came a few years with the Zoar Valley Eagles.

He then began progressing through the travel-ball circuit, the whole time with the goal to play baseball at the next level.

It’s safe to say, entering his senior year at Gowanda, Ondus has reached that goal.

On Tuesday, the Panthers right-hander announced his verbal commitment to attend Niagara University and pitch for the Purple Eagles after graduation.

OBSERVER File Photo by Matt Spielman Gowanda’s John Ondus went 5-2 with a 2.55 ERA last season as a junior.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play Division I baseball,” Ondus said Wednesday afternoon. “To get that opportunity is something that’s hard to pass up.”

Niagara went 22-32 this past season, including 13-11 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Purple Eagles were 11-4 at home at Bobo Field, but 11-28 on the road and at neutral sites.

At the MAAC Tournament at Clover Stadium in Pomona, No. 6 Niagara lost to No. 3 Canisius 11-0 in the opening game before rattling off three straight wins. First, the Purple Eagles beat No. 4 Monmouth 9-5 before taking down No. 2 Marist 7-4. Niagara then beat top-seeded Fairfield 19-14 in 10 innings before losing 11-8 to No. 5 Rider in the elimination bracket final.

“I would follow their playoff games on TV and get a feel for the atmosphere,” said John, the son of Jay and Paula Ondus. “I wanted to support them because I knew that would potentially be a place I could end up.”

Rob McCoy will be entering his 15th season as Niagara’s head coach next spring and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Matt Spatafora, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, will be entering his 11th season.

“I really liked the school and the coaches were really nice,” said Ondus, who plans to major in the business finance. “They’ve been reaching out to me for a while now. I could tell they were really interested. I wanted to go somewhere I felt wanted and knew they had my best interests in mind.”

The Purples Eagles pitching staff, led by junior starters Marcus Cashman, Evan Wilde and Blake MacMillan, pitched to a 7.13 earned run average and allowed opposing batters to hit .289 off them this past season.

“I went and watched a game up there. I felt I can definitely compete at that level and make a difference. That was a big deciding factor for me as well,” Ondus said. “I think if I keep working hard, I can make my way into the starting rotation.”

Last season for the Panthers, the 6-foot-2 ace went 5-2 with a 2.55 earned run average in nine appearances, seven of which were starts. He threw a no-hitter May 7 in a 9-0 shutout of Dunkirk, walking two and striking out 14. For the season, Ondus struck out 76 in 35 2/3 innings holding opposing batters to a .092 average en route to being named the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 Roger K. Moore Pitcher of the Year.

In three years on the varsity team — the 2020 season was knocked out by COVID-19 — Ondus is 10-5 with a 3.78 ERA. The two-time league and Post-Journal/OBSERVER All-Star has 119 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. Gowanda won the Section VI Class C championship over Portville in 2021 and lost to Portville in this year’s final.

“Last summer, and even at the end of the school season last year, John and I talked quite a bit whether it was in the classroom or on the side,” said Gowanda head coach Tim Smith. “He’s always expressed an interest in playing baseball at the next level. Like any of the kids out of Gowanda, you just kind of say to them that there are probably a couple of benchmarks you have to reach.”

This season at the plate, Ondus hit .351 with six doubles, a triple and a home run while driving in 19 runs and scoring 24. In the past two seasons, he is hitting .389 with 12 doubles, five triples and three home runs to go along with 36 RBIs and 43 runs scored.

“No disrespect to any of the schools we play against, but for some of the teams … it should be pretty easy to go out there and beat those teams,” Smith said. “If you think you can pitch at the next level, high school right now should be a little bit like a 17-year-old playing against Little Leaguers. … The next level is going to be such a step up.”

According to Prep Baseball Report, the 6-foot-2 right-hander has a fastball that has maxed out at 89 mph to go along with a 70-71 mph curveball and a 77-78 mph changeup.

With measurables like that, Ondus has the look of a next-level pitcher.

But first, he and his teammates have unfinished business at their current level.

“Obviously a state championship would be at the top of our list,” Ondus said. “I know a lot of guys have been working really hard this summer and working out through the offseason to get better on the field. … I think we’ll definitely be able to come back at the top of our games and be ready to go for senior year.”