Q&A With Youngstown State Commit Nathan Neiderhiser

by By Greg Williams - Prep Baseball Report

Monday, Sep 2, 2013 4:26 pm

Nathan Neiderhiser has had a pretty solid run of baseball success over the past 16 months. It began when he and his Bishop McCort HS teammates won the Class A State Championship in June of 2012. That success carried over to a deep run in the state tournament in 2013. Although the Crushers were unable to repeat as state champions, Neiderhiser was named to the All State Team and was selected as the PBR District 6 Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound LHP/OF went 5-2 on the mound with a 1.76 ERA over 51.2 innings of work. Neiderhiser struck out 75 hitters and held opponents to a .209 batting average. He hit .423 with eight doubles, two triples and a home run. Most importantly, Neiderhiser was a run producer. He was directly involved in roughly 25% of the runs that the Crushers scored on the season with 24 RBI and 28 runs scored.

Neiderhiser recently made his college commitment to Youngstown State University following a visit on campus. He talked with Prep Baseball Report about the recruiting process and his choice of schools.

PBR:  Where have you decided to attend college and why did you make this choice?

Neiderhiser: I have decided to attend Youngstown State. I chose there because of the coaching staff headed by Coach Gillispie, the athletic facilities of the university, and it is a good fit for me academically.

PBR:  What other schools were you considering?

Neiderhiser: I was in contact with multiple other D1 schools; mainly in the Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic and Southern Conferences.

PBR:  Was distance from home a factor in your decision?

Neiderhiser: I never really considered distance from home a factor until Coach Neal made it a selling point. Youngstown State is the ideal place for me to go since it is far enough away that I can be on my own, but it is also close enough to where if I need something I can go home.

PBR:  Where did the coaches first see you?  How did your relationship develop with their coaching staff?

Neiderhiser: Coach Neal saw me throw at the ABC Showcase Camp in Northern Ohio. My relationship started with a phone call from him shortly after, and it continued to grow. The quality of character in coaches Gillispie, Neal and Smallcomb made my decision to attend Youngstown State that much easier.

PBR:  What role do the coaches expect you to play your first year on campus?

Neiderhiser: They have told me I fill a need on the mound. I expect to go to practice, work hard every day and see where that takes me. Hopefully, that means I get an opportunity to see the field early.

PBR:  What is your biggest strength as a player and how do you feel that will help your team?

Neiderhiser: My biggest strength as a player is probably my baseball sense. Specifically from a pitching standpoint, knowing what the batter is thinking in the box and using that to my advantage is something I always try to do.

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

Neiderhiser: I play for Flood City Elite 17U in the summer. This past summer’s most memorable experience for me was probably spending a week in Georgia playing in the Perfect Game Wood Bat 17U National Championships. We did pretty well and I had a blast hanging out with my teammates.

PBR:  What is your current GPA?

Neiderhiser: I have a 4.0 GPA.

PBR:  Now that you have your commitment out of the way, what are your goals both individually and for the team going into your senior season?

Neiderhiser: My individual goals are the same as my team goals. I want nothing more than another state championship ring. As good as being named District 6 Player of the Year and All-State was this past season; I would have traded them both in for back-to-back state titles.

PBR: How did Prep Baseball Report aid you in gaining exposure as a potential college baseball recruit?

Neiderhiser: I have attended numerous different showcases by many different scouting services, and I can say with 100% confidence that Prep Baseball Report helped me out the most. The PBR showcases and Top Prospect Games were the most organized and best run events that I have attended. I would recommend PBR to anyone looking to get his name out there.

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