Former Poway resident finds way back to pitcher’s mound

When his high school baseball career ended, former Poway Little League All-Star Harrison Neidermyer was crowned the best player around as a two-time state champion.

Considering how his pitching career at Nampa (Idaho) Christian began, Neidermyer couldn’t have imagined how he got to this point, especially since he was, at one point, looking at missing significant time.

There was also a slight chance he might never pitch after an elbow injury surfaced toward the end of his freshman season at Maranatha Christian.

It cost him a few games at that point.

The pain continued after the family moved from Poway to Boise in 2013.

“The whole thing kind of came out of nowhere,’’ Neidermyer said. “I was in shock.

“When something like this happens to a pitcher, you have to take it seriously because I was nervous about never being able to throw a baseball again.’’

A seven-millimeter crack in the growth plate near the elbow, originally thought to be just tendinitis, turned out to be the culprit.

His arm was in a sling, then put in a cast and back in a sling over a four-month span, but doctors kept saying surgery was the best way to fix the problem.

But when the final X-ray before surgery was taken, the crack had mysteriously disappeared.

Doctors told Neidermyer they’d never seen a recovery like this, especially since he never entered an operating room.

“No one can figure out what happened,’’ Neidermyer said. “I don’t know where the crack went, but my arm is stronger than ever.’’

Three subsequent X-rays still showed a healthy elbow.

“I still can’t straighten my right arm,’’ Neidermyer said. “I was scared what would happen when I started throwing again.

“I had zero muscles in my right arm after all the sitting around doing nothing before what we thought would be surgery.’’

Despite the injury, Neidermyer credits Eric Cressey, the strength trainer for the 16U national baseball team, with advancing his return to full pitching health that he never missed a starting assignment at Nampa Christian in his three seasons there.

The elbow did not scare off Mt. Vernon Nazarene, an NAIA university in Ohio, from offering a scholarship that the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder accepted.

That’s because Neidermyer, who boasts a fastball that he estimates at around 82-83 mph, had a 12-1 record, a 0.93 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 53 innings this spring.

He had a no-hitter, a complete game in the 2A state semifinals and came on in relief to throw three innings to preserve the 7-6 victory.

“All the hard work paid off,’’ said Neidermyer, the 2A Western Idaho Conference Player of the Year. “Because I wasn’t sure I’d ever pitch again, winning a second state title maybe meant a little more to me than my teammates.

“I kept my confidence and composure for that last out. It’s so important for the pitcher to stay focused because your teammates are looking to you for leadership.

“Because of the importance, I like being in control of the whole game. Everything is in my hands and I have enough confidence in what I’m doing to get through tough spots.’’

Much like he did while his injured elbow was mysteriously healing itself.