Tonawanda’s Dave Battel always knew he’d like to take a shot at the next level.

Saturday, he decided to seize that opportunity.

The Warriors senior third baseman was among 10 players who signed a National Letter of Intent to play ball at Niagara County Community College.

“Just the coaching staff, coach (Matt) Clingersmith knows what he’s doing and knows the process of getting all of his guys to the next step,” Battel said.

Battel, a News Honorable Mention last spring, said joining NCCC was one of the better choices he could have made.

“I feel like if I would have went to a bigger college I probably would have been hiding myself and not coming out of my shell,” he said. “Instead, I’m going to N-Trip and I’ll be able to get comfortable and learn things from the coaches and get my experience level up from these guys.”

Clingersmith, whose additions for next fall include Niagara Falls lefty Andrew DeWitt, said he likes Battel’s ability to make plays in the field.

“He’s an outfielder that can go get the ball. I’ve seen him playing a lot in the summer, a kid not too far from our backyard ... we said, ‘Hey, lets get this kid right off the bat and develop him here,” Clingersmith said. “We saw a kid, an outfielder with some speed and can go get the ball, a great kid, great family background and we also think he’s going to add gap-to-gap power.”

Battel transferred from CSAT to Tonawanda last year and was a huge addition to a Warriors squad needing to suppress the loss of several key seniors, including News Player of the Year Jesse Zellner and pitcher Mike Tolsma, who both went on the play for Erie Community College.

Battel ended up starting at third and batting cleanup for the Warriors, who lost to Dunkirk in the Class B-1 finals. He said he expects to compete for a spot in the outfield at the next level.

“I’m going to treat it like any other tryout,” Battel said. “I’m going to go out and play my hardest and best to make a spot on the team.”

Clingersmith said Battel’s versatility will bode well when finding a spot for him.

“We don’t really know where he’s going to be. He’s a pretty good athlete,” he said. “He’s kind of like Dustin Pedroia (of the Boston Red Sox). Everybody is really looking for that big 6-foot-3, 6-4 baseball player, and he’s a true definition of an undersized player who can still hit.”

For now, though, Battel is looking forward to another season of Tonawanda baseball.

“I’m excited to play baseball again,” he said. “I just missed it. I was taking it easy and realized I needed to keep working harder and not just sit back.”

Clingersmith, meanwhile, is eager to see what Battel can bring to the table for the Thunderwolves.

“Last couple years, Tonawanda has had some success in baseball,” Clingersmith said. “They’ve been a winning program and we see a winner out of this kid.”