Mariners’ pitcher set to play professional ball
Carrie Pichler
Bradley Pichler, former Mission Valley Mariners pitcher, recently signed a contract to play professional baseball with the Glacier Grizzlies.
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POLSON — Those who get paid to do what they are passionate about are a lucky few. That dream is about to come true for a local baseball player who’s signed with the pros.
Bradley Pichler, 19, started playing coach-pitch baseball as a kindergartener in Washington. This month, he signed a contract to pitch for the newly formed Glacier Grizzlies, part of the Mount Rainier Professional Baseball League.
Through the years Pichler never stopped shining in the diamond. As his skills improved on the mound, Pichler was able to fine-tune his pitching mechanics at Rijo Athletics at age 11, a training facility run by former pro-ball player Jose Rijo.
After moving to Polson, Pichler pitched for the Mission Valley Mariners for five years and earned a scholarship to Dawson Community College in Glendive, where he played for one season.
Then, he returned home.
For the past several months, Pichler exchanged his pitching glove for sterile gloves as he cooked food in his family’s Mexican restaurant in Ronan. For the first time since he was six, months went by without climbing on the mound or picking up a baseball.
“At the time I was overwhelmed with what path I was trying to choose,” he said.
The recess gave Pichler time to think.
“I realized how precious baseball was to me,” he said.
In late January Pichler decided to test his skills at a professional combine tryout in Washington for the Glacier Grizzlies.
“It was absolutely nerve wracking,” Pichler said, knowing he would be up against 22 year olds and older. But, “I saw them and knew I could compete against them.”
According to his mom, Carrie, when Pichler took the mound, scouts and coaches stopped what they were doing and came to watch the young right-hander fire 85-mph pitches.
Pichler said he didn’t notice.
“I wasn’t paying attention to the other people, I was focused on my pitching,” he said.
That focus is part of what makes Pichler “a gem of a kid,” according to Mariners’ coach Jami Hanson.
“When he’s on the mound he’s in his own world where he can focus everything out and do what he needs to do: hit his locations,” Hanson said. “He’s got the control for it, and he’s worked hard for it.”
When Pichler was done at the professional team tryout, the league owner told Pichler to keep in contact and keep his arm warm.
“About a week later, I got an email asking me to play,” Pichler said.
Since then, Pichler has signed a contract to get paid to play for the independent league; but he’s quick to note that nothing is a done deal until spring training is over. Right now, 13 pitchers have signed; the Grizzlies plan to keep a dozen pitchers. A total of 35 people have signed for all positions, and after final cuts the team will keep 24 players.
Spring training runs from May 16 through May 21, which is the first home game for the Glacier Grizzlies. They’ll be sharing Memorial Park with Whitefish’s Legion Baseball team, the Glacier Twins. Pichler’s salary is set, yet it will grow as the fan base grows.
“It’s still a little nerve-wracking. I don’t know what to expect,” Pichler said.
If his name is still on the roster May 21, then “it’s all about baseball. From June through August 1, there’s not a single day we’re not playing,” Pichler said.
He anticipates he’d be pitching about every four games.
“It’s going to be pretty dreadful, physically,” Pichler said. Yet Pichler’s game plan of pacing himself on the mound doesn’t leave him too fatigued after a game. “It’s been my game plan since the Mariners, and it’s worked ever since.”
Until spring training starts, Pichler is preparing by working out in his home gym, running a bit every day, fueling up on protein, and staying agile.
His former coach isn’t worried about Pichler’s success.
“I remember Brad coming in when he was a little tyke, a quiet shy kid, and he’s grown into a young man. He’s been a huge, tremendous leader for us in the last years. As a Mariner organization, we are extremely proud of him,” Hanson said. “He’s going to do fine. Hopefully he will continue on to the next endeavor in his baseball career. He’s got a good mentality for it … a mentality that says you can’t be beat.”
When asked about the future, Pichler said, “I’m not trying to think that far ahead, but hopefully I can excel in my baseball career.”
The Glacier Grizzlies are one of six teams in the new independent league, and the only Montana team; other Washington and Oregon teams include the Skagit Valley Lumberjacks, the Moses Lake Rattlesnakes, the Grays Harbor Gulls, the Oregon City Mud Turtles, and the Ellensburg Bulls.
Former Mission Valley Mariners and Dawson College teammate Jeremiah Crawford of Plains was also selected to play on the Ellensburg Bulls.
