Starting out with basketball, Bartlett’s Brandon Pelz was immediately drawn to playing sports.
He was only age 3 at the time, and after he began in basketball, Pelz went right to baseball.
The fact that he has developed into an NCAA Division I pitcher, committed to Valparaiso, isn’t a surprise to him now. But all the dreams and aspirations he had as a child have been mixed up.
“The little kid in me would probably be shocked,” Pelz said. “Basketball was always my first sport. Up until eighth grade, I wanted to play both in college, then my baseball development shot up.
“Little me would be really excited about the work I put in.”
That progress has been incremental but impressive for Pelz, who is back for his fourth varsity season. His fastball is up to 91 mph. His curveball and slider are also plus options.
While continuing to work on other pitches for his arsenal, Pelz is ready to carry the load this season for the Hawks.
“He’s a competitor on the mound,” Bartlett coach Alex Coan said. “He’s somebody I can trust to hand the ball to at any point. The development of his three elite pitches is great. He’s trying to add a fourth or fifth pitch as well.
“That will help him continue his success at the next level.”
Pelz didn’t do anything drastic to get ready for this spring, though.
There aren’t any dramatic new pitches or anything like that. Working with longtime pitching coach R.C. Lichtenstein, Pelz has just built on refining what’s already in his pocket to get to this point.
“It’s just getting better in general,” Pelz said. “I didn’t add any new pitches. I worked with my pitching coach and changed some grips.
“I’ve loved working with him, and I will continue to over the summer as well.”
Josh Colaizzi has been with Pelz the whole way. Pelz came into the program after going to a different middle school than the rest of his teammates. Pelz and Colaizzi became fast friends.
Both made the varsity as freshmen.
“We thought we were big shots,” Colaizzi said. “We’re 14-year-olds playing with 18-year-olds. We must be pretty cool.”
Colaizzi, who is committed to McHenry, has seen firsthand how far Pelz has come on the mound.
“He’s got some of the craziest arm strength I’ve ever seen,” Colaizzi said. “We’ve been throwing partners since freshman year. It’s been awesome to see him grow and achieve his dreams and to be able to support him through the way.”
And for Pelz and Colaizzi, their initial interaction has gotten them to this point.
“We both had pretty big goals about where we wanted to go,” Pelz said. “It’s a huge step for the program as well. This group has elevated the program so much.”
Pitcher/third baseman Joe Kennedy (Concordia Chicago) and pitcher/utility Vince Yario (Harper), both seniors, also bring experience to an otherwise young team for Bartlett.
Coan is impressed with how his veteran players have helped bring along the younger players.
“I’m extremely proud of the seniors in how well they’ve welcomed our newcomers in,” Coan said. “They’ve been fantastic showing them the ropes. Hopefully, they’ll help develop the next wave of Bartlett baseball players.”
The fact that all four are headed to college to continue their careers isn’t lost on Pelz.
“I knew one kid on varsity as a freshman,” Pelz said. “Now, I’m that kid. My brother (Chase) is a freshman and I’m playing with one of his friends. I remember helping out at their practices.
“We like hanging out with the younger kids. We want to teach them what it’s like to be a varsity athlete and what it takes to move the program on like we did.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
