Nick Storz had his pick of some of the top college baseball programs in the country, but he could only imagine himself playing in one place.
And that’s actually what the Poly Prep ace did when he arrived at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium on his official visit early last week — he pictured himself on the mound in front of a capacity crowd.
“I think driving through the campus and then pulling up to the stadium was when I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is amazing, and I really want to be apart of this,” Storz said. “Then stepping onto the field and looking up into the stands imagining 12,000 fans. It really made me feel like this where I want to be.”
He was convinced enough to verbally commit to the Tigers over the weekend. The rising junior picked one of the nation’s premier programs over Miami, Georgia Tech, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
LSU lost in the College World Series last season, but the 6-foot-6, righty fell in love with the program’s first-class nature and built a strong relationship with pitching coach Alan Dunn. LSU saw Storz at a national tournament last month, and it wasn’t long before they offered him a scholarship.
“When I met the pitching coach and sat down to talk to him I could tell what I would love to work with him and definitely get better as a pitcher,” Storz said.
He took a big step forward for Poly this season. Storz is the reigning Courier All-Brooklyn baseball player of the year after posting a 3–1 record with 52 strikeouts in 33 innings. He hits up into the low 90s on the radar gun.
Storz, who is relatively new to pitching on a regular basis, won Poly’s game against eventual Public School Athletic League champion George Washington and struck out 13 batters. He also hit .389 with 26 runs batted in, and a .907 slugging percentage.
Storz, who will likely be drafted after his senior season, felt he couldn’t wait to commit with an opportunity to play at LSU in front of him. He is happy it is over, and now he can concentrate on improving and bring Poly home another private school state title after having its string of four straight snapped in the first round this year.
“It takes a lot off my plate, and allows me to just focus on just playing the game, which is what I love,” Storz said.
He did have to give up another joy in the process, though. Storz was a starting defensive end of the Blue Devils football team that went 8–1 last season. His play garnered him some attention from college football coaches as well, but his future is in baseball. He will not play on then gridiron anymore.
“It was extremely hard for me to stop playing, but I knew it was something I had to do,” Storz said.
He gave it up for a chance to fulfill a dream of playing for LSU. Storz could see it. He could hear and feel what it could be like to play there as the walked onto the field at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium.
“The general atmosphere is awesome,” Storz said. “I could tell it was a perfect fit for me to get better and also be a part of a very successful program.”
