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Nathan Kappers, RHP, St. Xavier HS, Class of 2018

PBR: Why did you choose Indiana?

Kappers:  Indiana was everything I was looking for in a school to play baseball. The Kelley School of Business is great and Indiana is an extremely competitive top tier baseball program that develops players. I chose Indiana because I strived to go to the best program I could go to and Indiana is that team and become the best player that I could be. Also I felt that the coaches were very invested in their players as individuals and as players and really get the best out of them and I liked the entire coaching staff. 

PBR: What other schools were you considering?

Kappers: Northwestern, Dartmouth, George Washington, Miami 

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

Kappers: Distance was not a big factor but is definitely a bonus. I wanted to be at a school that I really felt like was the best fit for me and it happened that it was close to home with Bloomington only being two and a half hours from home it is really nice to have that convenience 

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

Kappers: The pitching coach, Coach Bunn, saw me at the Tournament of Champions in Cincinnati and reached out following that tournament. After that we stayed in contact often and he made great efforts to come back multiple times to see me pitch and we continued to talk and then I went up to campus and met the rest of the coaching staff. 

 
PBR:  In June, you participated in Ohio Top Prospect Games, how did you performance at the event help you in recruiting?

Kappers:  It was one of few PBR events I attended but it was a great way for me to be seen by multiple college coaches in a concise fashion. The Games were completely worth it because it is a well conducted event that is great for coaches to evaluate many players and players to showcase talent to a large number of programs. 

PBR: Was the recruiting process what you expected?

Kappers: Not exactly. Recruiting is extremely fast paced and hectic during the summer. It moved very quickly because of the length of the summer season only being about 8 weeks it’s a lot of communication to stay on top of with coaches. With players and coaches being so busy working on recruiting it is really something you have to be prompt with and it was great for me to have people like Coach Beermann to help guide me and assist me 

PBR: Who do you play for in the summer and what was your most exciting experience playing summer ball?

Kappers: I play for CBC Elite Black and my best experience was our tournament in Atlanta at the WWBA 

PBR: What were your stats last season?

Kappers: My junior season my stats were: 60 Inn, 8-1, 0.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 35K, 2 Shutouts