Prep Baseball Report

PBR Wisconsin Pitcher of the Week: RHP Nathan Vela


By: Maddox Durst
PBR Wisconsin Staff

RHP Nathan Vela (2023; Winona State commit) has been a key piece to one of the most successful pitching staffs in the WIAA this season in Hortonville. The right-hander has continued to produce on the mound, turning in one quality start after another.

This past week, Vela twirled a no-hitter against Appleton North, one of the top teams in the Fox Valley Association in 2023. During the matchup, the Winona State commit struck out an impressive 12 batters through the use of a four-pitch mix, highlighted by an upper-80s fastball and a mature offspeed arsenal. He only walked two batters and worked around two errors to get the 3-0 win for the Polar Bears, facing three batters over the minimum. 

The performance against the Lightning earned him the POTW award, but it has been a reflection of Vela’s work throughout the entirety of the 2023 campaign. The senior has emerged as one of the aces of Hortonville’s pitching staff, along with being one of the top performers in the WIAA field. 

Nathan Vela (4/25/23)

His most recent start, on May 22 against Kaukauna, emphasized this narrative as well. Vela went five innings in the run-rule victory, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out eight batters. He earned the win once again, throwing his second straight complete game shutout. In his last four starts combined, Vela has allowed just two hits total over the 23.1 innings, and he’s punched out 38 batters along the way.

Vela, paired with some of the other electric arms that the Polar Bears possess, such as RHP Thomas Burns (2023; Arizona State commit) and RHP Ethan Peters (2023; Lake County CC commit), will make them a tough out once the playoffs roll around in a week.

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