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Nate Stahl, RHP/3B, Walsh Jesuit, Class of 2019

PBR: Why did you choose Wright State?

Stahl: Because the players and coaches are like a family. The coaches have a good Christian foundation and that means a lot to me. They are a winning program that competes every game at the highest level. It is a lot like the program I am in now with Coach Kaczmar at Walsh Jesuit.

PBR: What other schools were you considering?

Stahl: Michigan State, Ohio State, Kent State, and Pitt.

PBR: Where did the coaching staff first see you and how did you did your relationship build with them?

Stahl: I went to one of their winter prospect camps that Coach Kaczmar told our team about. After it ended, Coach Mercer met with my dad and me and invited us down for a one on one visit. He told us to bring anyone that was important to me for the visit. We met all kinds of players – they told us to talk to whoever we wanted and we talked with a lot of the guys on the team and all of the coaches. It was easy to see they were a family and really liked each other and loved baseball. They offered on that visit. My parents and I were in shock and didn’t really know what to do – but they told us it wasn’t a high pressure thing. Coach Mercer, Coach Sogard, and Coach Metzger also looked at my picture and how my looks had changed from the PBR website and how my numbers had jumped and how I had grown. They taped me at the prospect camp and when I came back for the visit they told me they saw everything they needed to see. They told me they were recruiting me as a weekend pitcher, but they will give me an opportunity to play two ways. We have had a lot of phone calls and went to a home game and an away game. The way they coach and treat their players and see the best in them is like Coach Kaczmar and the coaches at Walsh Jesuit. That was really important to me to have coaches like that after high school and my parents feel the same way. 

PBR: Coach Mercer was promoted to Head Coach this summer.  How does it feel to be a part of his first recruiting class?

Stahl: I didn’t realize that I was part of his first class. But that is an honor. 

PBR: Wright State is close to home, how much of a role did distance play in your decision?

Stahl: Of the five schools I was looking at and were looking at me it was actually fourth furthest from where I live now. But, it was still important to be close enough that my family can come see me play.

PBR: How does it feel to be a part of a Division 1 baseball program?

Stahl: The feeling is great. It’s tough to explain. But I feel I am ready because of how Coach Kaczmar and the coaches run our program at Walsh Jesuit high school. It is run like a D-1 program.

PBR: Who do you play for in the summer and what was the most memorable experience from this summer?

Stahl: Ohio Elite North for Coach Rob Beahn. I threw two no hitters on my own and was part of a third no hitter. Also – our team was really close and got along great on the bench and off the field.

PBR:  What person has the great impact on your baseball career and why?

Stahl: I have two. My dad because he coached me all the way through to today and still works with me one on one. And my high school Coach Chris Kaczmar. Without Coach Kaczmar I wouldn’t be at Wright State. He sees the best in every player and has always found the best in me.

PBR: What were your stats last spring season?

Stahl: I don’t know the stats as we are still playing this season. But last year as a freshman I hit .333 on varsity, I was part of two no-hitters as a pitcher on varsity, but my biggest accomplishment at the plate was having a 12 pitch at bat on my first ever varsity at bat. I hit a double and drove in two runs. But we have a tradition at Walsh Jesuit that if you get at least a ten pitch at bat you win a steak sandwich at the end of the year. So, I won a steak sandwich on my first ever varsity at bat.

PBR: Who is the toughest hitter that you have face?

Stahl: Two hitters I am glad I don’t have to face any longer are Dom Canzone (Ohio State) and Brendan Regan (Michigan State), except when it was during our winter training. I was very happy they were my teammates at Walsh Jesuit!