SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Summer and baseball have always seemed to fit together perfectly. For fans of the game, summer is a time to enjoy the sights, sounds and atmosphere of America's pastime. For college baseball players, it is a time for development. In summer 2015, 15 Santa Clara baseball players are competing for 12 different teams from the Bay Area to New England. The "All Summer Long" series, in its fifth season, chronicles these Broncos as they play in various summer leagues nationwide.
Steven Wilson pitched in Bronco baseball's starting rotation for the second straight year as a redshirt sophomore in 2015. He led Santa Clara with 80.0 innings pitched and struck out 61 batters in 13 starts. The Littleton, Colo. native logged seven quality starts on the season and consistently pitched through the sixth inning or later for the Broncos.
Wilson and the Healsburg Prune Packers finished off their season with a 6-0 victory over the San Francisco Seals to win the Wine Country Classic and cap a 37-13 season. SantaClaraBroncos.com caught up with Wilson to chat about his summer in Northern California, pitching in new situations and playing for a former Bronco in Joey Gomes.
Steven Wilson - Healdsburg Prune Packers - Healdsburg, Calif.
SantaClaraBroncos.com (SCB): What is one of the most important things you are focusing on this summer?
Steven Wilson (SW): This summer I am focusing on a few different things. On the field, I am working on my 2-seam fastball command and my slider. I just started throwing the slider halfway through our 2015 season, so it is still somewhat of a new pitch for me. Also, off the field I have really been focusing on becoming more flexible. I have learned that many little ailments that I have gotten throughout previous seasons are due to a lack of flexibility in my lower and upper body.
SCB: What have you enjoyed about playing for a former Bronco in Healdsburg coach Joey Gomes?
SW: Joey Gomes is a phenomenal coach, and playing for him has really been an honor. He brings so much energy to the field every day and his passion for the game and us players is unreal. I really enjoy how he preaches to us to play like professionals. Having a 10+ year professional baseball career, Joey constantly teaches us how to be a professional physically, mentally, and on and off the field. He has honestly been one of my favorite coaches that I have ever played for.
SCB: You got the chance to pitch to SCU teammate Matt Smithwick — who plays for the Alameda Merchants — during your first appearance of the season. What do you remember about that matchup?
SW: It was really fun being able to play against Smitty. The matchup between us was not long lived, as I broke his bat on a first pitch fastball. I don't think he was very happy about that, but either way it was fun being able to play against a guy that is usually in the same uniform as me. I am really excited to get back and play with Matt next season though. He is one of the hardest workers on our team and I know that he will be a stud.
SCB: On July 18, you picked up the save in a 2-0 win over the West Coast Kings. How did the feeling of being in a save situation compare to your normal role as a starting pitcher?
SW: I honestly enjoy save situations. I had a chance last summer to close some games out as well, and it has been a lot of fun. It is definitely different from starting though. Unlike a start, when you come out of the pen, you usually do not have a lot of time to warm up and get hot, whereas with a start, my warmup starts an hour and a half before the game. Getting ready to pitch in such a short amount of time really doesn't allow you to think about a lot of stuff before actually throwing, which is also really nice.
SCB: Tell us about your summer living in the city of Healdsburg.
SW: I have an amazing host family out here in Healdsburg. Brad and Susan Harmon are my host parents, and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Also, the guys on the team have been a blast to hang out with, and this town is amazing. There are so many things to do when we have an off day, and the food is amazing. Most off days, some guys on the team usually go fishing, tube down the river, or come over to my host family's house to swim in the pool. Overall, my Healdsburg experience has been amazing and I would recommend this place to everyone whether they are on the Prune Packers or not.
All Summer Long 2015
Steven Wilson
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