CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Northwest two-way player Cade Steiner has been selected as the Clarksville Now Player of the Week for his play during opening week.
Steiner’s standout performance last week came when he was given the nod to start the second game of the season for the Vikings. During their matchup, the Clarksville-area team faced Houston County High School on Tuesday, March 14.
The senior two-way player wasted no time getting in rhythm on the mound. He struck out the first two batters he faced. Steiner gave Houston County problems all game long, and when it was all said and done, he finished the game by throwing a no-hitter.
In addition to giving up zero hits, Steiner struck out 13 batters while only walking two. Northwest High came out on top with a 5-0 victory, with Steiner picking up the win.
In addition to his no-hitter, Steiner finished the week batting .375 with 5 runs scored, 1 run batted in, 3 walks and 3 steals. Meanwhile, the Vikings started the week off with a 3-0 record.
When Steiner was asked about his stellar performance during Week 1 of the 2022–23 season, he dedicated his play to his father.
Overcoming adversity
Chris Steiner, Cade’s father, has been in the hospital with health complications since the beginning of spring break. Chris works as a teacher at Northwest High and as a TSSAA umpire, so the Clarksville community has been supporting the Steiner family during these trying times.
In addition to his duties as a student-athlete, Cade told Clarksville Now he’s had to become the man of the house for the time being as well.
He said that he’s been in charge of taking care of his younger brother, his grandmother and helping his mom out in any way.
With everything going on in Steiner’s life, that makes his play standout even more so.
Coaches corner
“Cade has really stepped up as a young man, and I’m just so proud of him,” said Northwest Head Coach Christopher Benne. “He’s such a special kid to me. He’s been with this program since the beginning of my tenure with the team. Cade was on the middle school team when I was hired on, so everything he’s grown to be and become has been a reflection of the growth of the overall program.”
“Being able to keep athletic talent here at Northwest, being able to cultivate it and being able to succeed on the field has meant a lot to me. Obviously, his parents have both been longtime employees at Northwest, so to have that full faith and trust has empowered me to lead their son in this baseball program. It means a lot to me, and I was excited when we realized he was throwing a no-hitter,” Benne said.
“He didn’t even know he was throwing a no-hitter until the end of the game, because he gets so locked in and focused. That represents the entire leadership core of this team as well. We have a group of seniors and juniors who really step up during off-season workouts.”
“They lead the boys and make sure they aren’t just spending two hours at baseball practice together, but outside of the game as well. A lot of these guys are just best friends, so his no-hitter was a beautiful moment for me to see a no-hitter in general, but to be able to experience that moment with Cade with everything he’s been going through was truly special.”