Athlete of the Week - Chase Kieffer, St. Charles Baseball

SAINT CHARLES, Minn. (KTTC) – Chase Kieffer threw a complete game a week ago in Saint Charles’s win over Mabel-Canton. Saturday was even better: a no-hitter versus Triton. Even-keeled Kieffer, gave us his approach while on the mound.

“I just go out there and try and do my best every time I’m on the mound, and trust my team, just throw strikes, and have them do the work if I’m not striking them out,” stated Kieffer.

Kieffer was unaware of his no-hit bid until, “After the fourth, someone came up to me and said, ‘keep that no-hitter going,’ and I didn’t even realize it,” said Kieffer.

Chase didn’t have a significant varsity role last season, but turning that corner didn’t take long.

“Then last summer (he) had a real nice summer with our legion team,” said Saints head coach, Scott McCready. You could just see him grow and develop, get his curveball in for strikes, and build up his strength. So, he’s done a nice job.”

His dedication to improvement came with a lot of work, and it shows in 2023. “Just every weekend, I went up to Rochester and threw pitches and worked on getting better,” recalled Kieffer on the work he put in last offseason.

Whether he’s allowed hits, issued walks, errors on defense, or even inclement weather, his response to the things that don’t go his way is simple.

“I just take a deep breath and focus on the next pitch. Just try to get it in there.”

Coach McCready continued speaking about his growth as a pitcher, and it’s timing out well with the playoffs fast approaching.

“Even if you have a close pitch that doesn’t go your way, that’s okay. It’s still a good pitch. Come back and throw another one. He’s really improved that and just his mentality and his mindset -- he looks more confident. He feels more confident, and you can just tell he’s pitching better.”

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