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Baseball: Spotlight doesn’t bother Niles West’s Rosenberg
Pitcher Seth Rosenberg (19) of Niles West pitches during the Stevenson Showcase. | Rob Dicker~Sun-Times Media
Updated: July 29, 2012 6:05AM
With more than 100 scouts in attendance for the first day of the Stevenson Showcase, the majority of the athletes participating on the CSL’s 25-man roster were overwhelmed by the stakes.
Niles West’s Seth Rosenberg was one exception, primarily because he has performed in many showcase events while attempting to make a lasting impression on college coaches.
“I think everyone wants to do their best and they have so little opportunity to show coaches and scouts what they have,” Rosenberg said. “I think everyone has nerves, just trying to show to their best.”
Over the course of the two-day event, Rosenberg only threw two innings on the mound and didn’t play catcher, his primary position.
In addition to being used to being under the microscope — Niles West attracted hoards of professional scouts to its games this season to watch shortstop Kevin Ross, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates — Rosenberg is accustomed to throwing in high-pressure situations.
“All of my life I’ve come in and closed, so I’m used to the one inning,” Rosenberg said. “I’ve done so many showcases so far, and you only get about 18 pitches anyway — I think I threw a little bit less than that (the first day) — but I think I’ve done enough to where I’ve kind of gotten used to throwing so little.”
Rosenberg is also playing on Top Tier’s 17U Americans team, a high-profile travel club.
Rosenberg competes alongside Niles West teammate Kyle Colletta, a shortstop who also played at Stevenson. Rosenberg, after transferring from New Trier for his junior season, was a vital piece on a Niles West team which finished 26-11 and advanced to the sectional semifinals.
“Overall, it was a great season,” Rosenberg said. “I think our season was really successful — we won our regional, which was huge for our school. I had a lot of fun playing, which is something that you sometimes lose with teams. I just had a great time playing with those guys.”
Next spring, Rosenberg and Colletta try to help Niles West replace Ross, No. 1 starter Jason Meger and the team’s other seniors.
Furthermore, Rosenberg wants to continue attracting interest from college scouts, while finishing with recruiting cattle calls.
“I was lucky enough to get invited to the Area Codes tryouts with the Chicago White Sox, so I’ll be attending that (showcase),” Rosenberg said. “Other than that, hopefully I won’t need any more showcases.”
