Luca Sieger swings at a pitch while playing for his club team, the East Coast Lumberjacks out of Patchogue, N.Y.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The attraction of joining in the travel and excitement of an international baseball tournament in Spain this month has to be pretty exciting for any 17-year-old high school prospect, and certainly for one currently getting settled in for a winter at his home in Maplewood.
As one German baseball fan on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) with the handle, @fan club_baseball_deutschland, asked, ‘How does 7 days playing baseball in Tenerife sound to you?
In fact, Montclair Kimberley Academy’s Luca Sieger is about to find out exactly just how exciting that experience will be, as the Cougars’ junior catcher is set to be the lone American on a U-18 German national team ready to compete in a tournament in the Spanish city.
Sieger, who was born in the United States, but has German citizenship, is certainly enthused about the upcoming opportunity to play the game he loves abroad.
He flies to Spain on Sunday, Dec. 10, before starting action in the 10-day event, which will conclude before the Christmas holiday.
“It’s going to be a unique experience, and I’m really looking forward to competing with and against players from around the world,” said the Maplewood resident, whose mom, Nadina, was born in Italy and has German ancestry.
Sieger’s great-grandfather played for the German National ice hockey team before World War II, which is just part of the sports-oriented background for the family. The MKA catcher’s dad, Brian Sieger, is a former standout baseball player at Fordham Prep and went on to be a first baseman at Harvard University.
With both his American and German heritage, the upcoming diamond event in Tenerife is something that is extremely enticing to be a part of for Sieger.
“To be the only American on the team is going to be interesting, but I’m sure it will be enjoyable to meet players from different countries,” he said. “I speak German pretty well and I can’t wait to be part of what will be just a tremendous baseball and travel experience!”
Tenerife is a familiar site for international baseball since the European Baseball Winter League is also held there among other Euro Baseball events throughout the year.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Sieger will be entering his third varsity season at MKA next spring and had already made a verbal commitment in the summer before his sophomore year to play Division I baseball at the University of Maine.
He was slowed by a shoulder injury in the 2023 high school season, which limited his time behind the plate. He had just 20 at-bats, still managing 6 RBI for the 11-15 Cougars.
During his breakout, freshman scholastic season, he shined behind
the dish defensively for a successful
MKA diamond squad (17-7) while batting .250 with 14 RBI.
He helped lead the 2022 Cougars to a 3-1 upset of Rutgers Prep in the state prep B-Division tournament championship game at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“Luca was tremendous behind the plate for us his freshman year, and a big part of our success that season,” said recently retired MKA coach Ralph Pacifico. “He has a tremendous upside as a catcher at the next level and we see some great things ahead for him, including playing at an international level like he’ll be doing in Spain this month.”
Sieger has excelled on the club baseball scene for several years, including with the East Coast Lumberjacks, out of Patchogue, N.Y., a successful travel program that has produced 170 scholarship players at the college level.
Among his catching influences in his constant offseason work have been Ani Ramos of the Ani Ramos Catching Academy and former Millburn and William Paterson University standout Jorge Solodkin, who is currently on the women’s softball coaching staff at the University of North Carolina.
“Jorge and Ani have been great in terms of helping me improve my catching technique, and they’ve taught me a great deal about playing the position,” said Sieger. “I’ve been a catcher since I was 11 and I’m always working to improve.”
Sieger’s favorite player is former major league all-star Yadi Molina, considered by some to be the all-time, best defensive catcher. Molina retired in 2022 following an outstanding 19-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I just loved watching everything that Yadi did behind the plate with the Cardinals,” said the MKA standout. “He has tremendous enthusiasm, always did a great job handling all the pitchers, blocked balls extremely well and has a great throwing arm, which are all skills I continue to work on.”
As far as his own continued growth as a young catcher on the rise, Sieger just keeps honing his craft. The opportunity to be part of an upcoming, unique international baseball experience was something the Cougar standout simply could not decline. A German National 18-U coach saw video of the MKA standout in action and then invited him in September to be part of the team from Deutschland, which is now on its way to play in Spain.
“I play baseball year-round as it is, or I’m keeping busy training for the next season, so I’m more than ready to play at any time,” said Sieger. “So, when they asked me if I’d like to join the German national team, I was thinking, ‘Why not?’
“This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime type experience, and I can’t wait to be there playing the game I love on an international stage!”
Photos Courtesy of Brian Sieger and Gene Nann
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