The senior pitcher has been a key factor in the Ford baseball team’s success this spring, posting a 5-2 record and 2.68 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched (as of April 27). Next spring, White will play baseball for East Carolina University – a top 10 ranked baseball program this year. Off the baseball field at Haverford School, White is the leader of the school’s Star Wars Club, and is a member of FOCUS and the school’s game day crew. Haverford School baseball head coach Bob Castell said, “Ian has continued to improve during his four years as a varsity performer. He has displayed a mature work ethic and emerged as a team leader and a role model for our younger players. He waited for his time behind the likes of Ryan Reed (University of Pittsburgh), Colby McNeely (Rider University), Grayson Walker (Dickinson), Jac Campbell (Norwich University), and has learned how to embrace his role as one of our senior leaders. Ian, along with pitchers Kevin Reavey (West Point) and Fred Jordan, give us a chance to win every game they throw.”
Q: What is your best pitch? What do you think has been the biggest key to your impressive strikeout total?
A: My best pitch this season so far has been my slider. Throwing this pitch more often has been important for me and helped me get more batters out. I think the biggest key for me though has been the improvement of my changeup, which has helped me pitch to left-handed hitters. I have also gained a much better understanding of my whole pitch arsenal, which has been important for deciding what pitches to throw in certain counts depending on what hitter I am facing.
Q: What aspects of your pitching did you work on most during the past off-season?
A: I spent most of the offseason creating a more repeatable delivery as well as improving my understanding of how different pitches can be used by certain hitters. I spent a lot of time in Harrisburg at the pitching facility Full Reps. The people over there helped me improve my fastball and make my delivery more repeatable. I also did a lot of training virtually, where we focused on my movements and strength so that I could sustain a long season.
Q: As a pitcher, you probably have a better idea of how to pitch to a batter the more you see him. Can you tell us a few of the things you look for when a hitter that you’ve seen before comes to the plate?
A: The process starts the night before where our coaches will give me a scouting report on the hitters we will be facing the next day. I like to look at the report for a while but don’t want to spend too much time on it, as that could make me overthink it. What I am looking for in the scouting report is the hitters’ tendencies, whether they like to swing early in a count or late, and whether they hit off-speed pitches or fastballs. I also look to see who the other team’s most dangerous hitters are, and where they bat in the lineup. I want to know which hitters to be more careful with. With that plan in place for the next day, once I get to the field I just focus on executing one pitch at a time and trusting my catcher and pitching coach to call the pitches based on the plan we created.
Q: You’ve also served as a designated hitter for Haverford School. What aspect of your hitting did you work on most during the past off-season?
A: My biggest focus was to see more live reps off pitchers as well as trying to keep my swing as simple as possible. I spent a lot of time in the cages focusing on hitting the ball in the gaps and driving the ball for power.
Q: You wear uniform jersey No. 7 for Haverford School baseball – is there a reason you chose that number?
A: Since I was little playing in the youth travel tournaments I had always worn the number 77. Once I got to high school that wasn’t an option so for my first three years I just went with what was given to me my freshman year, which was No. 16. After a rough year last year, I felt like I needed to change something up and go back to my routines. So starting this season I went back to No. 7 because that’s what I had always worn. I have always liked the number 7 the best.
Q: You mentioned that your favorite experience to date with the Haverford School baseball team was the state championship run your sophomore year – tell us a little about it.
A: That whole second half of the year was kind of magical, but the run we had in the state tournament was something special. Coming off a rough regular season where we were given a low seed, to playing in front of a packed stadium at Villanova was a surreal experience that I will never forget. The joy of running onto the field after the final out was something you can never really explain and getting to send the seniors off to college that way was an amazing feeling.
Q: Tell us a little about your start in organized baseball – have you played any positions other than pitcher and designated hitter?
A: Once I started playing baseball around the age of 5 or 6, I played every position, but my favorite was probably catcher — I loved controlling the game and getting to throw runners out stealing.
Q: Who have been your most influential baseball mentors and what has been the most valuable thing each of them have taught you?
A: My most valuable mentor has probably been the owner of my gym, Chez Angeloni. He has taught me everything I know about baseball and has helped keep me on track to reach my goals. He has taught me to never get too high and never get too low. What he has taught me through his experience in the baseball world has been one of the biggest keys to my development.
Q: What has been your favorite memory of your baseball career outside of Haverford School?
A: My favorite memory has probably been getting to pitch at Chase Field in Arizona this past summer. Growing up and going to major league baseball games, I always dreamed of pitching on those mounds so getting to do that was very special.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a contest.
A: I like to wake up around the same time every start day so my body’s schedule doesn’t get thrown off. Then I will get a good breakfast and drink a specific tea — that is sort of a superstitious thing. During the day I try to keep my mind focused on the goal and not let myself get distracted. Once school gets out I will throw some music in and drink an energy drink. From there I’ll start my warmup routine and then once I finish that, it’s game time and I’m ready.
Q: What is your favorite baseball field, and why?
A: My favorite field is T-Mobile Park because that is the field I went to first, and I have a lot of memories there.
Q: Who is your favorite baseball player and why?
A: My favorite player is Julio Rodriguez because he is a true team-first player and he has every tool a baseball player could need.
Q: What is your favorite academic subject at Haverford School? What do you think you’d like to major in at college? Is there a particular career field that interests you at the present time?
A: My favorite subject is History. I am going to major in Criminal Justice, and the field that interests me the most is working in some sort of governmental agency like the CIA or FBI.
Fun facts – Ian White
Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Favorite author: J.K Rowling.
Favorite TV show: Star Wars the Clone Wars.
Favorite movie: Star Wars Return of The Jedi.
Favorite athlete: Joel Embiid.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Youve got the touch – Stan Bush.
Favorite team: University of Washington football.
Favorite place to visit: Seattle.
Favorite pre-game meal: Steak and potatoes.
Person I most admire, and why: “My mom because no matter the situation she always gives me good advice and is there for me always.”
Family members: parents Michael and Erinn, brothers William, Delaney and Conor.
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
To view a gallery of the previous Main Line Boys Athletes of the Week click here
