Stade signs with SMSU
NEW ULM — Sometimes it just seems like the right fit.
That is the case with New Ulm High School senior Ethan Stade, who signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball next season at Division-II Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
“I visited there and felt it was a beautiful campus and I talked with the coach [Paul Blanchard] and they have a pretty good baseball program,” Stade said. “I just really want to help out the program.”
Stade had been shown interest from the University of Minnesota-Morris and Century College.
This season, Stade was the workhorse for the Eagles, going 7-1 with an ERA of 1.18 with 60 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings.
“They are a little bit shorthanded on pitching so they said I may not be able to start right away but I definitely will get opportunities,” he said. “Personally I handle myself better when I start the game rather than come in as a reliever in the middle of a game. I like to set the tempo of the game as a starter — I really enjoy that. I do not like to come in in a bad situation and the tempo has been already set.
“I know that I can improve on everything in my game,” Stade said. “My physicality, my mentality and I need to work on my emotions better. The mental part of the game plays a huge role. Your fielders behind you may make an error and you cannot let that get you down. If you let that get to you it can be a bad ending.”
He said it will be a tough transition to D-II baseball.
“It is going to be a big jump from high school baseball to college baseball but i think that I am ready for it.”
One scenario that may present itself for him in the near future is what will his thoughts be when he is on the mound for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game against Minnesota State, Mankato in the batters box for the Mavericks is Cole Ranweiler, a high school teammate of Stade’s this year.
“It will be a pretty cool experience I think,” Stade said. “But I will have to focus on my game. After the game we can talk.”
Stade is undecided on a major.