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Rounding the Bases with Noah DeLuga
12/28/2020 8:54:00 AM | Baseball
There are six new faces in the fold for the Gopher Baseball program heading into the 2021 season, including five freshmen and one transfer. In order to get to know all of them better, Gopher Sports is sitting down with each newcomer and diving into the finer details of their baseball career.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Noah DeLuga is one of three new arms looking to add immediate depth to the Gopher staff during the upcoming campaign. DeLuga was dominant throughout his prep career at Lake Zurich High School in Illinois, leading the Bears in wins, earned run average, innings pitched and strikeouts in his sophomore and junior seasons. In the latter season, the southpaw tossed 44 innings and finished with a 1.40 ERA and 78 strikeouts, which translated to a hefty 16.0 strikeouts-per-nine innings. As a result, DeLuga received North Suburban All-Conference honors and All-Area Illinois accolades two consecutive years (2018, 2019).
Although DeLuga was unable to pitch for Lake Zurich as a senior due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he was nevertheless named a 2020 Perfect Game/Rawlings Preseason All-American. That marked the second consecutive year in which the lefty garnered national recognition, seeing as he was tabbed as a 2019 Preseason Underclass All-American the year prior. Heading into his debut season at the University of Minnesota, DeLuga in fact had the opportunity to gain valuable experience while competing for the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League. Across 22 innings in the Northwoods, DeLuga racked up two saves to go along with a 5.32 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
GS: Why did you choose to attend the University of Minnesota?
ND: "I know it sounds cliché, but the reason I chose Minnesota is because when I first came up here, it felt like a true home atmosphere. When I had my meetings with [head coach John Anderson] and Ty McDevitt and Packy Casey, the things they were saying just really clicked with me about setting you up for the next 50 years of your life and wanting to make me the best player I can possibly be."
GS: When and how did you first start playing baseball?
ND: "From as young as I can remember. I would say like three years old. I fell in love with it right away. There's pictures of me playing shortstop in tee ball and I fell in love with the fact that you can move around and be an athlete in the game. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved baseball the most, but I've played multiple sports growing up, and I think that made me a better baseball player all-around as well."
GS: What was your first conversation with head coach John Anderson like?
ND: "My first conversation with Coach Anderson was up in his office on my visit. It was really cool for me, because he opened up this manila folder that had all these topics he wanted to talk about, and it was all about how much people respected me and the way I was raised and everything. That was really cool. Talking to him about what they value as a program and what it's like to be an athlete here at Minnesota was all very exciting to learn about and all added into the fact about why I decided to choose Minnesota."
GS: What kind of pitcher are you?
ND: "I'm the kind of pitcher that's going to battle for the team no matter what kind of day I'm having, whether I have my good stuff, my A-grade stuff or my not-so-great stuff. I'm going to go out there and compete every single pitch. I would classify myself as a crafty lefty. Go out there, get you your outs and then get you back in the dugout and let the offense do the work."
GS: Talk about the opportunity you had to compete in the Northwoods League.
ND: "That was an unbelievable experience for me because with the Cape Cod League being closed, the rosters were packed with talent. We had guys that are projected to go in the first round on our team and just being able to see their routines, how they went about their stuff every day, especially as a youngster coming in, I didn't know what to expect. But just talking with those guys about their downfalls and their weaknesses and about how to avoid those and put myself in a better spot from the first time I step on campus. I'll be forever grateful for that experience."
GS: What is the most memorable moment of your career?
ND: "I would say my 12-year-old team when we went to a Cooperstown tournament in New York. We won the championship there. The whole entire field was surrounded with fans. It felt like, to me at the time, a big league game. The energy there was incredible. I remember I had a straight steal of home plate, so that energy there was something I'll never forget."
GS: How have your skills on the court helped you on the diamond?
ND: "My skills in basketball, a lot of it is conditioning obviously because you get up and down the court a lot. I think basketball translates well with baseball, especially pitchers, for that reason – just the physical conditioning aspect. Also, the lateral movements and being light on your feet, I feel like that helps those quick twitch muscles that help me push off the mound so efficiently."
GS: Who inspires you as an athlete?
ND: "My dad definitely pushes me to be the best athlete I could possibly be. Growing up, he was always kind of hard on me to just perform the best that I always could. That's my inspiration to go out there and always give it 110%."
GS: If you could be any TV or movie character, who would you be?
ND: "I grew up loving the Cars movies, so I would say Lightning McQueen would be pretty cool. Lightning McQueen just does things at high rates of speed, so I'll take whatever I can get from him."
GS: What is your favorite part about being a Gopher?
ND: "My favorite part about being here is being able to have that brotherly and family atmosphere with the team. Obviously, it's been a weird year, but we've still been able to click together. Especially as a freshman, I feel included, I feel part of the team, everything like that. Being a part of that brotherly atmosphere with all of the guys is something truly incredible."
GS: If you could steal a trait from any teammate, what would you take?
ND: "I just want Trent Schoeberl's height. I've always been kind of undersized as a pitcher, so that could make me ten times better, being that much taller."
GS: What are your goals for your Gopher career?
ND: "By the time I'm done with the Gophers, I want to play professional baseball. That's the big goal. But, I want to be remembered as a person who came in and worked as hard as he could every single day and made the team a better place, a better atmosphere and made all the teammates around me better people and better players."
GS: How has working with pitching coach Ty McDevitt helped you grow?
ND: "When I first got here... I'm a person that doesn't really know about Rapsodo or Fuego balls. I didn't know a lot about that. As soon as I was here, you just know. You can hear the knowledge and the true things he talks about. It all makes sense. My first couple weeks on campus, I was able to formulate a lot of information between him and lot of the older guys he has mentored. It helps me realize a new thought process, or how to correct a pitch, or how to use the data accurately to improve my own numbers. It's been a great experience so far."
GS: What kind of noise can Minnesota make in 2021?
ND: "I definitely do think this team is going to make a lot of noise. It's definitely going to be a weird year as well, but that could play into our hands. You never know how things shake out. I think we have a strong team, from the pitching staff to the defense to the lineup, up and down. I think we have a chance to do great things."
Freshman left-handed pitcher Noah DeLuga is one of three new arms looking to add immediate depth to the Gopher staff during the upcoming campaign. DeLuga was dominant throughout his prep career at Lake Zurich High School in Illinois, leading the Bears in wins, earned run average, innings pitched and strikeouts in his sophomore and junior seasons. In the latter season, the southpaw tossed 44 innings and finished with a 1.40 ERA and 78 strikeouts, which translated to a hefty 16.0 strikeouts-per-nine innings. As a result, DeLuga received North Suburban All-Conference honors and All-Area Illinois accolades two consecutive years (2018, 2019).
Although DeLuga was unable to pitch for Lake Zurich as a senior due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he was nevertheless named a 2020 Perfect Game/Rawlings Preseason All-American. That marked the second consecutive year in which the lefty garnered national recognition, seeing as he was tabbed as a 2019 Preseason Underclass All-American the year prior. Heading into his debut season at the University of Minnesota, DeLuga in fact had the opportunity to gain valuable experience while competing for the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League. Across 22 innings in the Northwoods, DeLuga racked up two saves to go along with a 5.32 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
GS: Why did you choose to attend the University of Minnesota?
ND: "I know it sounds cliché, but the reason I chose Minnesota is because when I first came up here, it felt like a true home atmosphere. When I had my meetings with [head coach John Anderson] and Ty McDevitt and Packy Casey, the things they were saying just really clicked with me about setting you up for the next 50 years of your life and wanting to make me the best player I can possibly be."
GS: When and how did you first start playing baseball?
ND: "From as young as I can remember. I would say like three years old. I fell in love with it right away. There's pictures of me playing shortstop in tee ball and I fell in love with the fact that you can move around and be an athlete in the game. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved baseball the most, but I've played multiple sports growing up, and I think that made me a better baseball player all-around as well."
GS: What was your first conversation with head coach John Anderson like?
ND: "My first conversation with Coach Anderson was up in his office on my visit. It was really cool for me, because he opened up this manila folder that had all these topics he wanted to talk about, and it was all about how much people respected me and the way I was raised and everything. That was really cool. Talking to him about what they value as a program and what it's like to be an athlete here at Minnesota was all very exciting to learn about and all added into the fact about why I decided to choose Minnesota."
GS: What kind of pitcher are you?
ND: "I'm the kind of pitcher that's going to battle for the team no matter what kind of day I'm having, whether I have my good stuff, my A-grade stuff or my not-so-great stuff. I'm going to go out there and compete every single pitch. I would classify myself as a crafty lefty. Go out there, get you your outs and then get you back in the dugout and let the offense do the work."
GS: Talk about the opportunity you had to compete in the Northwoods League.
ND: "That was an unbelievable experience for me because with the Cape Cod League being closed, the rosters were packed with talent. We had guys that are projected to go in the first round on our team and just being able to see their routines, how they went about their stuff every day, especially as a youngster coming in, I didn't know what to expect. But just talking with those guys about their downfalls and their weaknesses and about how to avoid those and put myself in a better spot from the first time I step on campus. I'll be forever grateful for that experience."
GS: What is the most memorable moment of your career?
ND: "I would say my 12-year-old team when we went to a Cooperstown tournament in New York. We won the championship there. The whole entire field was surrounded with fans. It felt like, to me at the time, a big league game. The energy there was incredible. I remember I had a straight steal of home plate, so that energy there was something I'll never forget."
GS: How have your skills on the court helped you on the diamond?
ND: "My skills in basketball, a lot of it is conditioning obviously because you get up and down the court a lot. I think basketball translates well with baseball, especially pitchers, for that reason – just the physical conditioning aspect. Also, the lateral movements and being light on your feet, I feel like that helps those quick twitch muscles that help me push off the mound so efficiently."
GS: Who inspires you as an athlete?
ND: "My dad definitely pushes me to be the best athlete I could possibly be. Growing up, he was always kind of hard on me to just perform the best that I always could. That's my inspiration to go out there and always give it 110%."
GS: If you could be any TV or movie character, who would you be?
ND: "I grew up loving the Cars movies, so I would say Lightning McQueen would be pretty cool. Lightning McQueen just does things at high rates of speed, so I'll take whatever I can get from him."
GS: What is your favorite part about being a Gopher?
ND: "My favorite part about being here is being able to have that brotherly and family atmosphere with the team. Obviously, it's been a weird year, but we've still been able to click together. Especially as a freshman, I feel included, I feel part of the team, everything like that. Being a part of that brotherly atmosphere with all of the guys is something truly incredible."
GS: If you could steal a trait from any teammate, what would you take?
ND: "I just want Trent Schoeberl's height. I've always been kind of undersized as a pitcher, so that could make me ten times better, being that much taller."
GS: What are your goals for your Gopher career?
ND: "By the time I'm done with the Gophers, I want to play professional baseball. That's the big goal. But, I want to be remembered as a person who came in and worked as hard as he could every single day and made the team a better place, a better atmosphere and made all the teammates around me better people and better players."
GS: How has working with pitching coach Ty McDevitt helped you grow?
ND: "When I first got here... I'm a person that doesn't really know about Rapsodo or Fuego balls. I didn't know a lot about that. As soon as I was here, you just know. You can hear the knowledge and the true things he talks about. It all makes sense. My first couple weeks on campus, I was able to formulate a lot of information between him and lot of the older guys he has mentored. It helps me realize a new thought process, or how to correct a pitch, or how to use the data accurately to improve my own numbers. It's been a great experience so far."
GS: What kind of noise can Minnesota make in 2021?
ND: "I definitely do think this team is going to make a lot of noise. It's definitely going to be a weird year as well, but that could play into our hands. You never know how things shake out. I think we have a strong team, from the pitching staff to the defense to the lineup, up and down. I think we have a chance to do great things."
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HIT & RUN WITH NOAH
Favorite athlete: Mookie BettsFavorite pro team: Boston Red Sox Hobby: snowmobiling Class at the U: First Year Inquiry Favorite song: Drops of Jupiter - Train Movie: Top Gun TV show: Criminal Minds Actor/actress: Jennifer Aniston Food: deep dish pizza Color: green Biggest fear: snakes Pet peeve: when people talk with their mouth full Hidden talent: Wii Bowling Person you'd like to meet: my grandmother Tme travel destination: 1970s disco dancing Dogs or cats: dogs Morning or night person: morning Chocolate or peanut butter: peanut butter TEAMMATE SUPERLATIVES
Most likely to be president: Bubba HortonMost gullible: Noah DeLuga Most talkative: Patrick Fredrickson Best dressed: Noah Berghammer Best flow: Andrew Wilhite Breakout player: Jack Liffrig |
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