{"id":48085,"date":"2026-04-13T15:54:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/48085\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:54:13","slug":"lake-zurichs-nick-verden-can-switch-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/48085\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Zurich’s Nick Verden can switch-pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"

As impressive as Lake Zurich junior pitcher Nick Verden has been in his first varsity season, opposing hitters haven\u2019t seen everything from him yet.<\/p>\n

Verden has pitched only right-handed this season but can throw a baseball with almost the same velocity with both arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started during COVID when I had a lot of time on my hands,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to see if I could do something different, so I started trying to throw with my left hand. At first, I struggled to throw it across my driveway. It wasn\u2019t easy. It still isn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, I\u2019ve gotten to the point where I can throw the length of an entire football field, which is pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty rare too. But it\u2019s not a novelty. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Verden, who has a 13-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has allowed only one hit in seven scoreless innings for the Bears (7-2), trains to equip himself with the tools necessary to get hitters out from both sides.<\/p>\n

Verden is more comfortable throwing right-handed, and his velocity can exceed 85 mph with that arm. But he\u2019s routinely able to exceed 80 mph from the left side and can also throw a curveball and a change-up.<\/p>\n

\"LakeLake Zurich left fielder Nick Verden runs back to the dugout at the end of an inning during a nonconference game against Prospect in Mount Prospect on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (Talia Sprague \/ News-Sun)<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout two years ago, I really started to work toward doing it and was able to realize I could do it fully,\u201d he said. \u201cMy parents were supportive of it, and my travel coaches tried to help me advance it. Over the years, with me showing dedication, they understood I was serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wearing a specially designed glove that includes a pocket in the center and three fingers on each side, Verden first switch-pitched in public during travel games in July.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pitched to a couple of batters right-handed and then a couple of batters left-handed,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was the plan going in. I certainly got some comments and looks from the crowd because it\u2019s so different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Verden\u2019s teammates watch in bewilderment. The feat is not unprecedented \u2014 a handful of MLB players have done it, and St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje can do it \u2014 but few people ever get to see it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how he does it,\u201d Lake Zurich senior pitcher Rylan Lamp said. \u201cIt shows that he thought he could accomplish something and was dedicated enough to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a difference from last year to this year. He\u2019s progressed so much with his velocity, and he really pounds the strike zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verden begins every outing hoping to have command of all of his pitches, which he admits is a little more difficult to do from the left side. But during his switch-pitching stretch last summer, he had an advantage before he even threw a pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gets into the hitters\u2019 heads because it\u2019s like facing a different pitcher,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was pretty exciting and felt really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LakeLake Zurich left fielder Nick Verden tracks a fly ball during a nonconference game against Prospect in Mount Prospect on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (Talia Sprague \/ News-Sun)<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t perfect, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I didn\u2019t practice was ground balls,\u201d Verden said. \u201cA ball came back to me, and I was freaked out. I completely botched it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not that fielding is typically a problem for Verden, who has proved to be competent in the outfield this season even though he had never played there before. He had exactly one outdoor practice before he played in left field in a game.<\/p>\n

Verden has been a sponge for information and has enjoyed gaining exposure to a different part of the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very different,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have a lot more time, and it\u2019s more relaxed than infield. But it\u2019s pretty exciting to have a new challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cReading the ball in the wind is something I could improve on. But it\u2019s fun to talk with the outfielders about where to throw for outs and what to do in situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

So as first-year Lake Zurich coach Derek Parola continues to piece together the most optimal lineups, one thing for sure is that Verden will be utilized heavily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know we have a certain amount of good arms, so as we move through the season, we\u2019ll see what role he develops into,\u201d Parola said. \u201cHe spins the baseball really easily and puts it wherever he wants to. He throws strikes very easily, and he\u2019s one of those kids who\u2019s willing to do anything to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell him a minute before he\u2019s going in, and he\u2019s ready. He\u2019s been a great asset so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LakeLake Zurich’s Nick Verden swings at a pitch during a nonconference game against Prospect in Mount Prospect on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (Talia Sprague \/ News-Sun)<\/p>\n

Verden is eager to continue improving in every facet of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mostly just want to focus on getting outs and not overthrowing my pitches,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to be efficient and get early strikes because the competition at varsity is much better than JV.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really exciting. It\u2019s a new experience to be part of something this big.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As impressive as Lake Zurich junior pitcher Nick Verden has been in his first varsity season, opposing hitters…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6610,8504,8505,8506,8507,4573,899,51],"class_list":{"0":"post-48085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-zurich","8":"tag-high-school-sports","9":"tag-illinois","10":"tag-lake-county","11":"tag-lake-county-news-sun","12":"tag-lake-county-news-sun-sports","13":"tag-lake-zurich","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-zurich"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116398212145848591","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}