Pitcher Brandon Pfaadt takes lessons learned from Trinity, Bellarmine to 2023 World Series

Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt recently appeared in the biggest game of his life — so far — but that might change soon.

Pfaadt, who played at Trinity High School and at Bellarmine University, was calm, cool and composed on the mound in Philadelphia in Game 7 of the NLCS-clinching victory against the Phillies.

To those who know Pfaadt well, that was not a surprise. His coaches and family members said Pfaadt will not be fazed if he pitches in the World Series — which begins Friday night — against the Texas Rangers.

“What made him great was his ability to be composed, under pressure to be composed when, you know, when things weren't going well, he was always the guy (who) was just a calm, quiet influence,” said Trinity baseball coach Rick Arnold, who has been at the school for eight years but has known Pfaadt since he was 5 years old.

When Pfaadt was in high school, his poise on the mound was already evident, Arnold said.

“We had a situation in a tournament game where we dropped a pop fly in the infield. For a lot of guys, that kind of ruffled their feathers a little bit. They probably would have gotten a little bit upset or frustrated, but not Brandon. He literally looked at the guy and gave a thumbs-up,” Arnold said.

“He proceeded to get the next guy out, and we won the game.”

Pfaadt followed in his family's footsteps, playing at Trinity and at Bellarmine.

The Pfaadt family has a long legacy in the Louisville area. Brandon's grandfather, Bob Pfaadt, was a member of Trinity's third graduating class. After graduating from Trinity, Bob Pfaadt played baseball at Bellarmine. He later became a professor at the university, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Pfaadt's brothers, Brady and Brett, played baseball at Trinity and Bellarmine. Brett is a senior on the team.

His mom, Staci, played basketball at the University of Louisville. His father, Brian, played soccer at Bellarmine, where he is now employed.

Brandon Pfaadt finished his senior year strong; he was named All-Region and second-team All-State. Pfaadt signed with Bellarmine to play baseball.

As a freshman at Bellarmine, Pfaadt was a relief pitcher. He had 58 strikeouts — tied for second on the team — in 47 innings.

Between his freshman and sophomore years, he pitched in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league, where he went 6-2 and played in the All-Star Game.

Pfaadt became a starting pitcher for Bellarmine during his sophomore year. He went 3-3 with a 4.03 ERA and led the team with 22 starts.

That next summer, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Pfaadt was initially given a temporary contract for the first 15 days. There are two types of contracts in the Cape Cod Baseball League: temporary contracts given to players for the first two weeks to fill in for players participating in the College World Series and contracts for the whole summer.

“We figured he'd be up there for a few days and come home, and he went up there, and he ended up being there all summer,” Brian Pfaadt said. "Their team made it to the playoffs, and he was their main pitcher in the playoffs, and the scouts were all over him.”

This led to multiple scouts showing up to Bellarmine practices, and Brandon pitched the first couple of games in his junior year. He started five games and went 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA. Brandon recorded 27 strikeouts in 26 innings, and opposing batters hit .189 against him.

The COVID-19 pandemic cut their season short, and Pfaadt initially planned to go back to Bellarmine for his senior season.

The number of rounds in the 2020 MLB Draft was cut down; it went from 40 rounds in a normal year to five rounds in 2020.

Pfaadt still decided he was going to declare for the draft, and if he wasn't picked in the first five rounds, then he would return to Bellarmine for his senior year.

Day 2 of the MLB draft was almost over, and Pfaadt was still waiting to hear his name called. “We were getting really nervous, and we weren't thinking it was gonna happen,” Brian Pfaadt said.

Brandon's adviser called around the 140th pick and told him the Diamondbacks were interested in drafting him.

Sure enough, the Diamondbacks drafted Pfaadt with the 149th pick.

“It was the middle of COVID, and we weren't supposed to be together. But people couldn't resist. And people just started showing up at our house — people from Bellarmine and people from Trinity. We just opened up our backyard, and everybody stayed outside in our backyard. We celebrated that evening till about four in the morning,” Brian Pfaadt said.

Pfaadt moved quickly through the minor leagues after signing with the Diamondbacks.

He spent two months in Single-A before being promoted to High Single-A and then to Double-A.

In 2022, playing in both Double-A and Triple-A, Pfaadt led all minor leaguers with 218 strikeouts in 167 innings.

In 2023, Pfaadt started the season in Triple-A with the Reno Aces, but on May 3, he got his first MLB start against the Rangers. Fifty-six family members showed up for that game, his dad said, but it didn't go well for Brandon. He yielded seven runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

After five starts and an 8.37 ERA, Pfaadt was sent down to Triple-A. He rejoined the Diamondbacks for a game June 29 against the Tampa Bay Rays and was sent down again. Pfaadt received another call-up July 22 and finished the season with Arizona.

He finished the regular season with a 5.72 ERA and 94 strikeouts, but the postseason has been a different story.

In four postseason games, Pfaadt has allowed five runs in 16 2/3 innings. He has struck out 22.

In his biggest game, Game 7 of the NLCS against the Phillies, he struck out seven in four innings.

“If you can pitch against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, you should be able to pitch anywhere,” Brian Pfaadt said. “I mean, that place was nuts.”

Pfaadt would welcome the chance to pitch against the Rangers again this season because Texas handed him his first MLB loss.The ultimate goal, though, is to help his team win the World Series.

More: Former Trinity, Bellarmine pitcher Brandon Pfaadt's journey to World Series by the numbers

Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 2023 World Series: Brandon Pfaadt's journey from Louisville to MLB