Get to know Westfield HS graduate, baseball player Seth Nanna
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Seth Nanna, a 19-year-old baseball player and athlete, is making waves on the pitching mound and looking forward to what’s next. With an impressive 14-year journey in the sport, Seth has been honing his skills with the Indiana Mustangs and Westfield High School; beginning this fall, he hopes to become a formidable force in the NCAA Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) during his time at Lewis University.
For Seth, perfecting his pitch design has been a top priority, dedicating his summer to fine-tuning his pitching style through daily individualized exercise activities and personalized baseball training. Sharing his ambitions, Seth says, “My hope is to optimize velocity and increase performance on the pitching mound. By continuing to stay committed to hard work on and off the field in the future, I am hoping to be recognized as one of the top baseball pitchers in the NCAA Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) that Lewis University competes within, while also receiving multiple honors as a NCAA GLVC Pitcher of the Week. It will also be important annually to be recognized by the NCAA for earning Academic All-GLVC Honors for Excellence in Academics while participating in baseball for Lewis University.”
Like any athlete, Seth faces challenges, especially as a pitcher. Reflecting on how he manages mental hurdles, Seth explains, “Sometimes it can be hard for me personally, as a pitcher, to stay positive after I have performed not as expected for my team. I can get upset with myself for feeling like I have let the team down during a game.” To overcome these challenges, Seth chooses to only give himself until the end of the day to process the results of his pitching for that particular day. He wisely advises, “It’s important to analyze what could have been done differently, but it is more important to move on from that particular game in order to clearly formulate and execute a plan for future success at the next game where I will be pitching.”
One of the best pieces of advice Seth received was from his high school football coach, Coach Gilbert, who introduced him to the power of visualization. Sharing his experience, Seth says, “Visualizing the game ahead of time, before I step out onto the field to warm up, has taken away a lot of the anxious feelings that occur prior to game time and has made me a more confident athlete. It takes practice to mentally tap into visualizing your future strategy before a game or activity, but it can really benefit you as an athlete as well as a person.”
What Seth loves most about baseball is the camaraderie with his teammates. He shares his sentiments, saying, “Some of my best friends have come from playing baseball. I also love the game itself because it has made me a better person, team player, and friend. It’s proven to me that hard work and setting personal goals in every aspect of your life pays off.”
Many athletes have a pre-game ritual, and Seth is no different. “I like to listen to music before I pitch because it helps with my overall mood,” he says with a smile. “Before a game, I like to stretch my entire body for 15-30 minutes. Then I warm up my arms using J-Bands. After that, I throw weighted balls doing different drills with them. Finally, I throw with my catcher to get my pitching arm loose and then throw around 20-25 ‘warm-up’ pitches from the mound.”
Being a member of a team has been a transformative experience for Seth. Reflecting on the lessons he has learned, Seth shares, “Everything isn’t going to go your way, and you still have to be there for your teammates in good and bad times. Being a part of a team has taught me how to lead by example, how to always strive to be the best version of myself, how to motivate others by staying positive even when things are not going well, and how to stay committed to a goal no matter how hard the challenge is to succeed.”
He has been fortunate to have many mentors along his path, and a piece of advice Seth always keeps in mind is to control the things that CAN be controlled. “Two major things you can control regarding sports, and life in general, are your attitude and your effort,” he believes. “It’s important to only give energy to the things you can control. Even if life or a game doesn’t go as planned, there is always a way to turn adverse circumstances into advantageous outcomes.”
Seth expresses deep gratitude and says, “I would like to thank my coaches, mentors, teachers, parents, friends, family, and teammates for always supporting me on and off the baseball field. I am thankful that my faith has given me the ability to see that life and baseball are gifts.”
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