By Joe O’Leary
The Mountain Times
Put yourself in the shoes of a high school baseball player; it’s the seventh inning, you’re stepping up to the plate with two outs, your team down a run. Surprisingly, the opposing team’s starting pitcher is still in the game, showing just as much poise in pitch 100 as he did in the opening toss of the game. Theoretically, facing a tired out pitcher shouldn’t present many challenges in the way of getting on base. Unfortunately for you, you’re facing Sandy’s Matthew Kosderka.
Kosderka, a senior, is not only the Pioneers’ ace, but an emblem for SHS’s successful brand of baseball as well. The team is built upon gritty wins backed by excellent pitching, never more so than when it’s Kosderka’s turn to start.
In nine starts, Kosderka has returned a 0.48 ERA, while going through 59 innings, a pair of impressive counts that show why the team leans so heavily on the right-handed workhorse. For Kosderka, this continued dominance is simply the product of his daily process towards being the best player he can be.
“I start preparing the night before [a start]; visualization, preparing my body, preparing my mind, thinking about what I’m going to do when it’s time to execute,” Kosderka explained, “Throughout the day I try to get a light lift in to activate the muscles, and then a whole lot of mobility, a whole lot of stretching. I try to get to the field about two hours before the game and keep stretching. An hour before the game I start my bands and my plyometrics. About 35 minutes before the game I go through my dynamic routine and play some catch. About 15 minutes before the game I’ll throw in the bullpen, and then team prayer and I’m ready to pitch.”
Continued execution on the mound has provided a clear boost to the Pioneers when they reach the top of their rotation, but Kosderka’s impact stretches beyond his pitching: when he isn’t starting for the team, he provides his services as the team’s left fielder.
Defensively, Kosderka’s rocket of an arm and ability to cover space makes him a quality outfielder. On top of all of this, Kosderka is, arguably, the best hitter on his team.
“My approach depends on the pitcher, I look at where he’s locating and then I adjust from there,” Kosderka said. With the skills and three-way versatility of the 17-year-old, SHS has continuously put their trust in him. Despite being such a great asset for the Pioneers, Kosderka knows he is far from the only driving piece that keeps his team moving forward.
“We’ve got a great team. I mean all of us, we play for God, we give all glory to God… it helps keep the pressure off ourselves,” Kosderka explained. This year’s team is arguably the best the Pioneers have fielded since winning the 5A state championship in 2015.
After high school, Kosderka plans to attend Lower Columbia College, a junior college in Longview, Washington, to continue his baseball career. With the talent, dedication, and mindset of Kosderka, it’s very likely to imagine that he will be able to find plenty of success at the next level. It is clear he is more than ready to make the jump to bigger and better things – packed full of the attitude and abilities of a leader and a winner.