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07/07/2016 12:00 AMStanding at nearly 6 feet-7 inches, Fletcher Suedmeier makes for an imposing figure. Now put him on a mound that’s 10 inches tall and throw a pair of cleats on him and you have a towering young man hurling a baseball that travels faster than 80 miles her hour. As if that isn’t enough for opposing hitters to deal with, Fletcher is also lefty and that’s a prized commodity in the game of baseball.
“I use my height to throw downhill and my arm angle to confuse hitters,” Fletcher says. “I find it is harder to hit a lefty because people don’t see them as much and because of the angle I come at the plate.”
Fletcher, who recently completed his junior year with the Warriors, uses three pitches to attack the opposition. The southpaw features a fastball that tops 80 on the gun, a changeup that drops in the zone to keep batters off-balance, plus a curveball that he throws for strikes.
“I think my changeup is my best pitch because it has a good drop-off and is the most-effective pitch,” says Fletcher, an Essex resident. “I’m not a strikeout pitcher. I use all my pitches to keep them guessing and try to get ground balls. I use deception or pitch to contact and trust in the defense behind me.”
So far, Fletcher’s approach seems to be working as he’s contributed to the Warriors’ varsity squad in each of his three seasons with the program. Fletcher won two games and posted an earned-run average of 0.60 while pitching 11 innings his freshman year, after which he threw 17 innings and notched one victory with a 3.67 ERA last year. This past season, Fletcher took hold of the No. 3 spot on the Warriors’ staff and went 3-2 with an ERA of 3.00 in 25 innings.
“He’s a monster with all kinds of potential. At about 6-7, a lefty who throws a fastball, curve, and change and knows how to pitch and play at a high level, Fletcher is going to be a beast,” Valley baseball Head Coach Gary Marineau says. “He’s a bit analytical on the mound. When he just throws it and goes after guys without thinking, he’s dominant. He’s got good control and, when he gets stronger and throws in the upper 80s and maybe 90s, he can be unhittable, but that’s up to him. He needs to work at it and hit the weight room and I think he has the mindset to do it.”
Fletcher isn’t just force on the mound. He also plays great defense as Valley’s first baseman and hit .310 with an on-base percentage of .434 this spring. Fletcher’s abilities and work ethic earned him the honor of captaining the Warriors in the recent season and he will reprise that role as a senior in 2017.
“Being a captain was a big leadership role and I tried to keep working hard in practice, keep everybody up for the games, and not stress over things,” Fletcher says. “It was good to have Arik [Sypher] and Nash [Eppard] as senior captains because they sort of got me and Matt [Robida] ready and showed us how to be even better leaders for next year.”
As for next season, Fletcher will assume the role of the No. 1 pitcher in the rotation for Valley, which is coming off its second-consecutive successful campaign with Coach Marineau. The Warriors are losing two All-Shoreline pitchers in Sypher and Eppard off a team that won 16 games and made the conference final, although Fletcher feels quite excited about the potential for next year.
“I think we will have a good team. Young guys will step up and fill in. Colin [Sparaco], Chase [Morris] are rising players, Josh Ross was a freshman catcher and did a great job behind the plate,” Fletcher says. “I’m excited for next year and I’m going to work to get better. I think we will come back strong and confident. We want to get back to the Shoreline final and win it and, hopefully, begin a dynasty at Valley.”
Coach Marineau knows that Fletcher will do whatever he needs to do to keep improving as a ballplayer and he also appreciates the demeanor that Fletcher brings to his club.
“I love the kid. He’s got a great personality and has the type of sense of humor that keeps everybody loose. I know he will work hard in the offseason to get better,” Marineau says. “As a sophomore, we had to DH for him. This year, he batted cleanup for us in four or five games and had some big RBIs for us. That tells you how much work he put in last year to get better. And he’s not just a great pitcher. He has a high baseball IQ. He’s always in the right spot defensively, knows where to be for cutoffs, and can really scoop it. I’ve been coaching for over 20 years and he’s one of the best first basemen I’ve ever had.”