By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor The Pasadena area saw many solid pitchers show signs of brilliance during the 2017 baseball season. Poly’s Matt Loomis won 10 games for the Prep League champions. Charles Acker had seven wins for a Maranatha team that won an area-best 22 games this season. Dawson Netz also was incredible for […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
The Pasadena area saw many solid pitchers show signs of brilliance during the 2017 baseball season.
Poly’s Matt Loomis won 10 games for the Prep League champions.
Charles Acker had seven wins for a Maranatha team that won an area-best 22 games this season.
Dawson Netz also was incredible for the Minutemen with two playoff victories.
But no pitcher was more clutch over a longer stretch than was La Salle junior Zane Lindeman.
Lindeman started the season 0-4, because of soreness and tightness in his shoulder.
He spent almost a month, and three days a week going to the “Physical Edge” at 6 a.m. to rehabilitate and get stronger with a trainer named Brandon Dunn.
Once Lindeman got close to 100 percent, the 6-foot-4 right-hander was incredible.
Lindeman went 8-0 the rest of the way.
But it wasn’t just the eight wins without a loss that is necessarily the most impressive part.
It was a no-hitter over San Pedro on April 19 in the St. Paul Tournament.
He then went on to defeat league champion and Division 1 power Bishop Amat, 2-1, in eight innings on the road.
To that point, Bishop Amat was undefeated in Del Rey League play, and it was their lone league loss of the season.
After that, La Salle needed a win over Cathedral in their last regular season game of the year to be guaranteed a slot in the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs.
Lindeman shut out Cathedral, 2-0, to earn the Lancers a playoff berth.
He wasn’t finished yet.
In the first round of the playoffs, Lindeman shut out Santa Monica, 3-0, and ended the season on a 19-inning scoreless streak.
For his success under fire, and when La Salle desperately needed it most, Lindeman has been named the 2017 Pasadena Sports Now Baseball Pitcher of the Year.
Lindeman finished the season 8-4 with a 1.71 ERA.
He allowed just 16 earned runs all season (many of which were early in the year) and struck out 54 batters in 66 innings.
Because of all that, Lindeman was also awarded a scholarship to continue his baseball career at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2019.
And for as much success as he’s had, winning 17 games in his sophomore and junior season’s combined, you might think his head would begin to swell.
But that’s not the case for Lindeman.
After each victory, especially those in which he was the deciding factor, Lindeman never once patted himself on the back when asked for a quote.
It was all about his defense, his teammates and his coaches.
“I wasn’t going to strike a lot of guys out,” Lindeman said. “I completely trusted my defense behind me and they almost always made the plays it took to win these games.”
While he was hurt, Lindeman was somewhere between 80-82 miles-per-hour on his fast ball, which is below average by most standards.
And while he was able to raise his velocity by six or seven miles per hour, it was his mixing speeds, hitting spots and a very high baseball IQ that helped the La Salle junior frustrate so many opposing offenses.
“Zane has always had the mental make up to be successful,” La Salle coach Mike Parisi said. “He is one of the kids who does a lot behind the scenes that no one knows about. We know once we give him the ball, he isn’t going to give it back. He is a low-pitch count guy, and someone who has great command.”
Lindeman can come off as a little odd, and he even called himself “weird,” but it’s more likely he’s just more old school than a typical teenage boy in a 2017 world.
Lindeman’s family and friends are his life and there is no one he’d rather spend his time with than his parents, Leslie and Karen, and his sister Natalie.
The Lindeman’s are such a tight and in some ways a throwback family that they spend at least one meal every single day together, and it’s something that Zane relishes.
“I love my family so much and enjoy spending as much time with them as I can,” Lindeman said. “They support me by allowing me to do what I love to do and allow me to focus on the things that are important in my life and that make me happy. I always want to make them proud.”
What makes Zane Lindeman so effective that he’s earned 17 career varsity wins and still has one more season to add to those totals?
“I have four pitches I feel I can throw at any point in the count and in any situation,” he said. “I find a lot of hitters can’t hit an inside fastball. It’s not that I have an overpowering fastball, but if you hit your spots, good things will happen.”
Lindeman also loves his teammates and coaches.
“Coach (Mike) Parisi is someone with incredible passion and knowledge of the game and it rubs off on us,” he said..”He is committed to his players and we know he has our back. And my teammates, I love those guys. They’re not only my teammates on the field, they are my brother’s off of it.”
What does Lindeman hope to achieve next year and before he heads to Cal Poly SLO?
“I want to master all four pitches and add some velocity,” Lindeman said. “I want to get stronger and add lean muscle. As far as the team goes, I sincerely feel like we can make a run at a league title and be competitive deep in the CIF playoffs.”
Quotable:
La Salle coach Mike Parisi: “Zane carried us into the playoffs with his last five complete game outings, winning them all. He has 17 wins in his last two seasons. A total bulldog on the mound. What makes him special is that he truly cares for the La Salle baseball program and puts his teammates first. All the hard work he put in on his own time is the reason he is successful.”
La Salle shortstop Ethan Patrick: “Zane turned out to be our ace and was someone we knew would give us the best chance to win games every time he took the mound. He throws strikes and doesn’t give away free bases or runs. We know he’s going to trust us to do our jobs and because of that, he’s been incredible for us. We love playing behind him, and couldn’t have more confidence in him or be more proud of him.”
Getting To Know Zane Lindeman:
Favorite Athlete: Jimmy Butler
Favorite Sports Team: Cubs
Favorite Movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Favorite Musical Artist: Travis Scott
Musical Artist Some Might Be Surprised I Like:: Phantogram
Famous Person (alive or dead) I’d Most Want A Conversation With: Hank Aaron
