Poly Prep baseball standout Nick Storz rarely gets nervous.
He’s a dominant presence at the plate, striking an imposing figure at 6-foot-6, and he hasn’t battled nerves in quite some time. But that changed on July 11 when he stepped into the batters box at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., one of two finalists in the Junior Home Run Derby.
Storz came up just short in the final — falling 4–3 to first baseman Nick Brueser of Chandler, Ariz. He didn’t walk away a champion, but the Blue Devils senior wasn’t upset with his performance.
He had been nervous, but as soon as he followed through on that first swing, Storz settled into his usual approach — one that has him in the national spotlight this summer.
“It was a little intimidating getting into the box, I’m not going to lie,” Storz said. “It was crazy to see 45,000 fans up there in the stands. We had the all-stars hitting 27 home runs in the round before us, but I was just trying to stick with what I’ve been doing all summer.”
The derby was held in between the first and second round of Major League Baseball’s counterpart slug-a-thon, and Storz shared the field with some of his big-league idols while waiting for his turn at the plate.
Storz did his best to soak up every moment, another memory in a summer that is shaping up to be his best yet.
“I would say awesome is an understatement,” Storz said of the last few weeks. “It’s been a fantastic summer so far, and there’s still a lot more things to go. I just have to keep my head down and keep going. I’ve been enjoying myself so much and it’s been a real honor to be invited to the things I’ve been invited to so far.”
Storz competed in the Perfect Game National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla., and the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars in Cary, North Carolina earlier this summer and is slated to play at the East Coast Pro Showcase in Florida next month.
There isn’t much down-time. In fact, Storz was on a flight to another showcase the day after competing in the Junior Home Run Derby, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s having the time of his life.
“This summer by far is the best summer I’ve ever been a part of,” Storz said. “There are just so many events and I’ve been treated so well. I can’t say anything except that it’s been an absolutely amazing summer.”
Storz’s on-field reputation has skyrocketed over the last few weeks, but it’s only recently that he’s been viewed as a power hitter.
The Louisiana State University commit was seen as more of a pitcher by scouts and actually didn’t bat at all at the Perfect Game National Showcase.
That might change going forward.
Storz recorded eight home runs in the first two rounds of the Junior Home Run Derby and his longest hit measured at 432 feet by StatCast.
This summer has been a dream come true for Storz, and he isn’t taking anything for granted. He was nervous earlier this week, but he welcomed the emotion, knowing it was simply a sign of just how special that moment was. He won’t ever forget it, even without the championship trophy.
“I’m definitely not disappointed,” Storz said. “Just to be invited to this event was fantastic. It was an incredibly cool experience to be on the field with all these all-stars. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
