For Minneapolis senior Aiden Anderson, success on the baseball diamond has never been about overpowering opponents. Instead, Anderson has built his game around trust, preparation and experience.
Heading into the season, Anderson knew exactly what kind of pitcher he wanted to be for his team.
“My primary focus on this baseball season was to fill the zone and let my defense behind me work because I knew I wouldn’t be able to overpower hitters,” Anderson said.
That mindset helped Anderson embrace a leadership role on a relatively young Minneapolis squad. While his approach may not rely on high velocity, he understands how to attack hitters and keep them uncomfortable at the plate.
“I feel like my biggest strength was being able to bring some experience to the team being it was fairly young, as well as being able to use my off-speeds to my advantage,” Anderson said.
Much of that success came from the work Anderson put in during the offseason. Determined to become a more complete pitcher, he focused heavily on improving the movement and effectiveness of his secondary pitches.
“This offseason, one thing that I really wanted to focus on was improving my off-speed pitches so I wasn’t just lobbing fastballs middle-middle,” Anderson said. “Working out over the summer made it to where I was able to throw a bit harder and get more spin on my off-speeds.”
Anderson measures success by more than statistics. Individually, he wants to continue developing both on the mound and at the plate. As a team leader, he also hopes to help Minneapolis continue moving forward.
“A successful season in my eyes would be a year where I better myself and am able to shut down more teams at the plate while improving my batting,” Anderson said. “For the team, a successful season would include a better record than the past couple of years, as well as everyone focusing on the skills they need to improve on and acting on that.”
