Miami native Frank Elissalt attended Southwest Miami Senior High School, where he earned All-District honors. Possessing a projectable frame and strong pitching fundamentals, he was considered a follow by scouts and evaluators in the crowded Florida baseball scene but went undrafted in the 2020 MLB Draft. As a freshman in 2021, he attended La Salle University, where he made 13 starts for the Explorers. Throwing 76.1 innings, he posted a 3.42 ERA with 57 hits allowed, 39 walks, and 95 strikeouts, the latter of which was second-most in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Elissalt transferred to Florida Southwestern State College for his sophomore season in the hopes of being drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft as a juco, but the right-hander did not hear his name called despite having a respectable season for the Buccaneers.