Butler Eagle Male AOTY: How Butler pitcher Nolan Stefaniak’s stellar senior season almost never happened
Nolan Stefaniak’s stellar senior season almost never was.
The recently graduated Butler standout loved another sport so much in his early teens that he considered dropping baseball entirely.
“I almost quit baseball for hockey,” Stefaniak said. “I almost did hockey full time.”
Stefaniak, a Penn State baseball commit who could hear his name called in this weekend’s MLB Draft, began playing travel hockey when he was “4 or 5, maybe,” he said. “I just loved how fast it was, and I think it’s a good game for when you’re younger because you have less (of an) attention span.”
He skated as a forward and enjoyed putting the puck in the back of the net. He was good at it, not to mention he was bigger than his peers. But, after thinking of hanging up his bat and glove when he was 12, it was hockey he did away with a year later.
The decision certainly paid off.
Stefaniak went 8-2 and posted a 1.18 ERA on the mound as a senior, helping the Golden Tornado to their first WPIAL crown and an appearance in the PIAA title game. He also struck out 85 in 59.1 innings of pitching work, while batting .364 with 20 RBIs, 10 extra-base hits and two homers.
Stefaniak is also the 2025-26 Butler Eagle Male Athlete of the Year.
“We’re definitely a much different team if he’s not pitching for us,” said Butler baseball coach Josh Forbes, adding up over 140 innings of high school pitching work for Stefaniak. “He basically pitched 20 1/2 games over his four-year career.”
Stefaniak also played basketball from seventh grade through his sophomore year. He admitted he wasn’t very good on the court and “just kinda played to play. It’s good that I stopped playing basketball, let’s just say that.”
Forbes recalled a conversation he had with Stefaniak early on during his high school career, telling him to follow his heart, even if it meant specializing solely in one sport.
“He truly wanted to do baseball at any given moment, at any given time,” Forbes said.
Stefaniak still keeps a close eye on the ice. He attended one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home playoff games against the Philadelphia Flyers in April. In part for the sake of being different, he adopted ex-Pens winger Patric Hornqvist as his favorite player.
“I don’t like when everyone cheers for the captain and stuff,” Stefaniak said. “(I pick) the guy who I like to actually watch the most.”
He has an autographed sweater of Hornqvist’s in his room, along with a signed photo of Mike Lalor, a family friend and former NHL defenseman.
On the field, Forbes recognized an elite trait that helped Stefaniak stand head and shoulders above the rest.
“Not everybody can go and pitch and have that focus, and then the next thing you know is, ‘OK, now I gotta focus on what’s coming at me and hit,’” Forbes said. “Or after (they’re) done pitching, ‘OK, now I gotta focus and now I gotta do my job as a first baseman, or even a right fielder. That kinda stuff is what athletes are really made of.”
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler High School's Nolan Stefaniak poses for a portrait at the Butler High School Baseball Field, Friday, June 26, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
