Green Valley’s Steidel gets season off to dominant start
Green Valley pitcher Joseph Steidel said his command of the strike zone has been one of his biggest weaknesses recently. The senior left-hander didn’t struggle with his command last week.
Steidel pitched six scoreless innings, allowed one run and struck out nine in a 4-0 victory over Silverado on Thursday. Steidel took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
He was named Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week for his efforts.
Let’s get to know this week’s boys athlete of the week. (Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.)
Nevada Preps: How were you feeling as you took a no-hitter deep into the game?
Steidel: I didn’t think about the no-hitter much throughout the game. My goal was to get deep into the game and attack each hitter, and hits are out of my control.
NP: Who’s an MLB player you look up to and try to model your game after?
Steidel: I looked up to Madison Bumgarner throughout my childhood and I try to model my pitching off of Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow succeeds with his high fastball and low curveball, generating many strikeouts. This pitching philosophy has given me success throughout high school.
NP: Do you have any game-day superstitions or pregame rituals that you follow?
Steidel: I wear a rubber band around my wrist when I’m pitching and snap it against my wrist hard whenever I need to get back in the moment during games.
NP: What’s been your favorite memory in your baseball career thus far?
Steidel: I had an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) in the 5A playoffs last year. It was a great feeling because the playoff atmosphere added to the excitement and I had never come close to an immaculate inning before.