A Few Moments with Captain Niemeyer
2/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 15, 2017
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The strength of the 2017 Buckeyes? It’s pitching staff. The Scarlet and Gray will return one of the most experienced group of hurlers in the Big Ten and leading that group will be Adam Niemeyer. Last year, the Buckeyes finished sixth in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.07) and the right-hander from Minster, Ohio, was a major contributor, striking out 70 opposing hitters while allowing just 12 walks in 71.0 innings pitched to conclude his first campaign as a Buckeye starting pitcher. Now, the finance major, Niemeyer was voted captain by his teammates and is ready to guide an Ohio State team hungry to make another postseason run in 2017.
I am honored to be named a captain. It makes it even more special that it was voted on by my teammates. We have numerous leaders on our team and I cannot wait to get the season started.
Jalen is one of the hardest working kids I have ever met and it has shown in his development as a player. He is an easy person to follow and will be an exceptional leader for the team in his second year as a captain.
Last year was epic. The month of May was remarkable and the tournament run was unreal. I obviously remember the games, the Big Ten tournament run and the trip to the NCAA regionals, but what usually comes to mind first when looking back on last year was the time spent with the guys. We had some unbelievable experiences together and I look forward to staying in touch with all 35 guys for the rest of my life.
Coach Stafford does an awesome job of teaching the mental side of pitching. He preaches to get ahead in counts and to trust your stuff, which allowed us to have a successful 2016 season. There are guys returning who threw a lot of innings last year and I think that experience will help the whole pitching staff this season.
My role model is my dad. Growing up, I would always be bugging him to come play baseball or football with me in the yard and I don’t remember him ever saying no. I am the oldest of five kids and I’m sure they would all say the same about him.
My favorite part about baseball is the brotherhood. We are together for three to four hours every day in the fall and spend countless hours together in the spring, which allows the team to become extremely close. Ohio State has the tradition. Buckeye nation is everywhere, and if you give an “O-H”, odds are someone will reply with an “I-O”.
The biggest improvement in my game is the development of a changeup. When I came to Ohio State I was mainly a fastball/curveball pitcher. Coach Stafford and Coach Delucia helped me develop and fine-tune a changeup, which has made me a better pitcher.
We lost a lot of awesome guys last year, but have reloaded and have a lot of newcomers that will make an immediate impact. This fall we scrimmaged more than we ever have and it was good to see guys compete to prove themselves and try to earn playing time.
This team is competitive. Whether talking about baseball, school, or ping-pong in the team lounge, we are always trying our best to succeed.
It’s hard to name just one newcomer. Thomas Waning, Dustin Jourdan and Reece Calvert are junior college transfers that can all step in and help us immediately.
The 2017 Buckeyes will be a dangerous team. We have numerous pitchers returning that threw big time innings for us last year, as well as position players that played key roles last season.
