Windsor Selects' alum Richardson honing mound skills at Northern Kentucky

Windsor Selects alum Noah Richardson (Windsor, Ont.) has been honing his pitching skills at Northern Kentucky University. Photo: Northern Kentucky Athletics

May 7, 2020

Official Northern Kentucky University Athletics News Release

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Noah Richardson has been an instant contributor for the Northern Kentucky Baseball team since joining last year, but it hasn't been in the way the sophomore imagined at all.

In a Q&A, he gives his take on becoming a pitcher, his dream of playing college baseball and how important his dad, Bryan, was to his development. 

Your dad had a pretty successful baseball career, can you tell us what you know about it from what he's told you?

My dad was an amazing ballplayer. He would downplay his accomplishments if you asked him, but what he did on the field was no small feat. He was a great centre fielder with a strong arm, some power with the bat and he could run really fast. Funny enough, I hear more about how good he was from his friends and old teammates and coaches more than I ever heard from him. He was on Team Canada when they won their first U-18 world championship in 1991 and in 1992 he got drafted by the Yankees. He ended up attending Paris Junior College with another Windsor native and current first base coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, Stubby Clapp.

Having a father who knows the game of baseball really well must've been huge in your growth as a player. How much of a help has that been?

Having my dad have so much baseball experience has been amazing for me. I admit, it took me until I was about 16 to actually realize how knowledgeable he was about the game, but then in last four years of my career he has helped me a lot more than he thinks he has. We worked on my game so much going into my senior year and the summer before I headed to NKU. He really helped simplify the game for me, which at the time was really hard and sometimes still can be. 

Why did you pursue playing college baseball in the states and how did you end up at NKU?

It's been my dream since I was 11 years old to play college baseball in America. I did not care what division or where at, all I knew was that I wanted to play. College baseball in Canada is competitive, but it is nowhere near the level played in America. Growing up five minutes from Detroit, we played in America a lot and got a taste of how competitive it can be. My travel team, the Windsor Selects, has always had a reputation of sending kids away to schools in the States. It's a great organization with a lot of talent; there were 12 of us who went on to play baseball in the States from my class, and even more continued their collegiate careers in Canada. I heard about NKU through another Select and former Norse, Shane Paradis. Having his dad, Kevin, as a coach and mentor through the process was really my foot in the door. He introduced me to Coach Asalon in 2017 and later that summer I accepted my offer to NKU. 

Something a lot of radio announcers this season had fun with on the roster was that you were listed as a P/1B/OF. Tell us how you became a jack-of-all-trades player? What's your favorite position to play?

I played first base my whole life. I played a little bit of outfield, but I was never an outfielder until Coach Asalon told me he wanted to try me out in left field when I got on campus. Believe it or not, I did not pitch a lot during high school, I was always a first baseman. Learning outfield was not that hard as I always did drills with my dad to keep my athleticism. Now I love pitching, but after 13 years as a first baseman, I will always favor the one-bag. 

Do you hope to get more at-bat opportunities or are you primarily focusing on pitching now?

With having guys like Will Haueter and Griffin Doersching ahead of me at first base my freshman year, I was prepared to wait my turn at first. I am tall, left-handed and I saw some early success on the mound so I thought it would be better to focus on pitching, especially when I was going in almost every other game. The summer following freshman year I came home and played ball with the Selects again at 1B and gave my arm a break. After not seeing live pitching since the fall, I was surprised at the success I had at the plate. I wholeheartedly believed I could compete on the field, as I always played well and was a solid line drive hitter. Even now that the season was cut short, my dad and I still go out a few times a week and work on hitting,  as well as pitching and fielding, just in case there is a summer season. Pitching has grown on me a lot, though, and I think that I have a lot of potential on the mound, I just have to figure it out and piece it together. Either way, I am ready to deliver whatever role the team needs me in. Maybe we will see the return at first, but for now I am going with the flow and just trying to produce for the team every time I step on the field. 

You threw a lot a year ago in your first season as a Norse. How important was it to you to be able to get reps in as a freshman?

Believe it or not, I think I threw as much my freshman year as I did all four years of high school. I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to be a pitcher, but I have a lot of great coaches and teammates to watch and learn from. I never expected to even play my freshman year, let alone lead the conference in appearances as a pitcher. It was a great experience and it really helped me learn on my feet as a player and in life. It was really awesome to get that much experience in my first year. Growing up you dream of pitching at schools like Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisville; I got the opportunity to pitch against all of them in my first year of collegiate baseball. I was 18 and just turning 19 going against these schools and I was having success against future draft picks when I have never even been a pitcher before. It was a really humbling experience and I am so grateful to have had those opportunities.

What are you currently working on now as a pitcher? What are some of the things you feel like you need to get better at?

Right now I'm currently working on developing a change-up and trying to get a feel for my two-seam. Consistency is something else I am striving for during this time off. Pounding the zone is the name of the game as a pitcher and it's something I have struggled with in my transition from a two-way position player to a pitcher only. Once I am able to get consistent command of my pitches I feel like I'll be able to really give our team an edge to win no matter what role I am in or what the situation is. 

What do you hope to do after baseball and why?

After baseball, I plan on going back to Windsor and looking for a job. The goal is to apply to the local or provincial police force and become a police officer. Then, hopefully, a detective down the road. Having done a co-op with the Windsor Police in my junior year of high school, I got to see some police work upfront and get some hands-on experience. That semester made me realize that I definitely want to do something in the law enforcement field. I have been thinking about law school a little bit, because I find the courts to be very interesting and I think I could make a good lawyer.