Tyler Holt
Sport: Baseball
Position: Pitcher
Class: Senior
Major: Kinesiology
Hometown: Carmel, IN.
“He came in and really did a good job. Filled up the strike zone, every pitch was working. He really saved our bullpen heading into Sunday’s double header. His leadership’s been awesome.” - Head Baseball Coach Blake Allen on Holt’s performance.
Holt turned in an impressive outing this weekend in the team’s season opener against Anderson University. The 6-foot 2-inch southpaw allowed only two baserunners in four shutout innings to close out a 16-6 win for the Tigers.
The DePauw (TDP): Obviously baseball can be a huge mental game, especially on the mound. What was your mentality when you took the mound for the first time this season?
Tyler Holt (TH): I've been playing this game since I was 4 years old, and going into the last season, my goal is to have the most fun possible. This mentality allowed me to feel more relaxed, confident and less pressured when I came into the game. Additionally, it's allowed me to no longer get caught up in the results or statistics. Now, I only care about being able to say that I competed to the best of my abilities on any given day. If I do that, then I'm confident that the results will take care of themselves.
TDP: What have you personally worked on to get stronger as a pitcher, especially with the team having graduate a strong staff of senior pitchers from last season?
TH: We had a very talented group of guys last year that left some big shoes to fill. The two biggest things that came to mind when thinking about replacing them is consistency and leadership. Personally, I have focused on trying to be a very dependable teammate, both on and off the field. A guy that the team can count on to get whatever they needed to get done.
TDP: Throughout your baseball career, what have you loved most about being a pitcher?
TH: I personally love being a pitcher because although baseball is a team game, pitching is the only position where it's basically an individual sport. It's you vs. the hitter. Your best vs. his best. And in order to be successful, you have to not only throw a ball at a target, but you have to use strategy to out smart the hitter.
TDP: Who was your favorite Major League Baseball player/role model growing up?
TH: Being left handed, my role model is Clayton Kershaw. He inspires me because although he is the best pitcher on the planet, he is also one of the most humble.
TDP: What's something about pitching you wish people had a better understanding of?
TH: I wish fans of the game of baseball were a little more patient while watching games. A lot of times, and I'm guilty of this too, they get bored with the pace of the game. However, if you take a second to analyze the little things that go on in a game (i.e. pitch selection), then I think that the game gets a lot more interesting.
