Aidan Meola is a very talented infielder in the OSU baseball program that has seen just about every up and down the game has to offer. He’s well known for his ability to come up big when it matters most, and those are the ups. But, unfortunately, he’s also known for having incredibly bad luck when it comes to the injury front, and those are the downs.

But, through it all, he’s continued to grind, continued to show how tough and how talented he is, and, he’s comin’ back, for one last ride, so let’s get started on telling his story.

Background

Meola was born in Kansas City, moved to New Jersey when he was 6, then moved to Palm Gardens Florida after his Sophomore year of High School. His dad, Tony, was a professional Soccer player and the family moved wherever he played. He also has a sister that played soccer at Palm Beach Atlantic and a brother that played baseball at Stetson, so being an elite athlete runs in the family genes, and it’s something he says really made a positive impact on him growing up.

Yeah, I mean I grew up in locker rooms with my dad, so I think that’s probably where some of the leadership and good teammate qualities come from. Just growing up and seeing how guys treat each other, and the right way to go about it, it’s definitely had a big impact on me.

Meola grew up playing Soccer as well, and was, as you could guess, very good at it.  So, growing up, it was the sport he thought he’d end up playing the most as he got older. He always liked soccer more as a kid, and played it through his Sophomore year of High School. But, once his family moved to Florida, and he could play baseball year-round, that’s when the focus shifted.

At that point, he realized baseball was the sport he was probably the best at, and the rest is history.

As you can imagine, Meola had big success on the diamond and had plenty of options on where he wanted to further his career at the College level. And, on the surface, it might seem like he didn’t have any connections to OSU, but he did, a very big one as a matter of fact.

Meola had gotten close to the Holliday family through Travel Ball and knew they were connected heavily back to OSU, and through that connection, he decided to take his first official visit to OSU. 

And, it didn’t take him long to realize that Stillwater was the place he wanted to be.

I started playing with Jackson on the Scorpions in High School for Travel Ball. I developed a relationship with Matt, then got to know Josh and took a visit and it was actually my first visit of the 5 I had scheduled. 

I got there on a Thursday, and by Saturday morning I was like wow, this is pretty crazy. They took me to the new stadium, and I talked to all of the coaches, and I called every other coach at the other schools I was supposed to visit, and told them that I did not want to waste their time, and that I’m not taking any more visits, because I’ve found the place that I want to be. 

OSU

Once on campus, it didn’t take the South Floridian long to make his impact. He started his career in 2022, as a Freshman, going 2 for 2, and eventually carved out a very consistent role on a very talented team. 

Everything was going just as planned, just as everyone had hoped and expected, but that was only right up until it didn’t.

During his Freshman season in 2022, he got a concussion and only ended up with 35 at-bats. It was actually his 2nd concussion since arriving on campus, as he also had one back in the Fall of that year as well. 

Then, as a Sophomore in 2022, he tore his thumb, and then in this past season he had a hamstring that nagged him all year. This is not someone who is made of glass, in fact, it’s the opposite, he’s “boot leather” tough, so bouts with injury have come from just straight bad luck, and have been super frustrating.

Here’s what he had to say about that situation.

Yeah, so Freshman year was pretty frustrating because I had never sat before. But, being behind Nolan McLean, I knew I just had to work to find a role. And, I did.

I got into a good groove of starting against lefties, and then I got a concussion, which was actually my second one of the year. I had one in the Fall earlier, so once that one happened I think everyone got very worried and became super cautious, and I don’t think I played again for another month.

I got to pinch hit against Arkansas in the Regional, and that was it.

Meola described 2023, his Sophomore season.

And then Sophomore year I was playing great, and I earned my spot and was in the lineup every day. Then, on a little bit of a rainy night at Baylor, I swung and missed, my top hand slipped off the bat, took my bottom hand off and tore 2 ligaments in my thumb, and had thumb surgery. My next at-bat was against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament.

In that at-bat, Meola hit a very dramatic walk-off home run to send the Pokes to the Championship game, and that takes us to this past season, one that was, again, derailed due to injury. On this occasion, Meola had hamstring issues that wouldn’t go away. As he put it, once you have hamstring issues, the only thing you can do is rest if for an extended period of time, and he was not willing to stay out of the lineup that long. 

So, he fought through it to help his team in a huge way. Although limited defensively, he made his impact on the offensive side of the ball hitting .329, OPS 1.016. 

Intangibles

While Meola has shown to be a great player in terms of production, that’s not all that he offers, not close. Maybe his best qualities of all are his leadership skills and the type of teammate he makes sure he is. Those are qualities he feels he learned very early in life by paying attention to the elite athletes he grew up around.

I grew up in locker rooms with my dad, so I think that’s probably where some of the leadership and good teammate qualities come from, just seeing how those guys treated each other and the right way to go about it. 

So, it’s always something I’ve taken pride in is being a leader, and it’s really important to me to be a good teammate, whether it’s on or off the field. And, I think, no matter how high or far I go, that will always be at the top as to what means the most to me. 

It’s one thing to “want” to be a leader, and for that to be important. But, it’s entirely different to actually be one. To be someone that others want to follow, you have to be good, you have to be a very hard worker, and you have to be tough. In other words, you have to inspire others around you to want to follow your lead into being more like you. 

Meola has all of those qualities in abundance. He’s a tireless worker, he’s one of the most talented players in College baseball, and, he’s tough as hell. 

Moving Forward

Meola was not shy that this past season and exit in the Regionals is something that bothers him. He’s still mad about it, and he’s using it a fuel to his fire for the upcoming season. And, he is certain it will do the same for every other player that is returning as well. When asked what his goals were for his final season in Stillwater, his answer was simple, and it was clear, make it to Omaha. 

I think the most important thing to me is winning. I want to go to Omaha, I want to win a National Championship. I think all the returners are going to remember how it felt to lose in Regionals because it didn’t feel good, and it still makes me mad thinking about it. 

I think the goal has to be to win a National Championship, and we’d be selling ourselves short if we were going after anything but that.

Meola then went on to talk about his personal goals.

Personally, I think with a full healthy year I’m gonna be able to do a lot more things than I did this past year, so I’m looking forward to developing further, and I’m nowhere close to where I want to be as a baseball player, so I’m excited to get back to Stillwater and get back to work..

Finishing Up

Aidan is one of the most talented infielders in College baseball to return, period. The dude can hit nukes (exit velos up to 113), he’s tough, he’s talented and he’s clutch. All in all, one word describes him best, he’s a “Winner”.

It was a pleasure getting to speak with Aidan because I’ve grown so much respect for everything that he has been at OSU. 

One last chapter to write though, one last ride, one that is going to be a lot of fun. 

Big thanks to Aidan for joining, it is super appreciated, Go Pokes!