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Former Sullivan West pitcher Bryce Reimer talks path to Bucknell

Alex Kielar
Posted 4/28/23

LEWISBURG, PA – Bryce Reimer, a 2020 graduate of Sullivan West, is in the midst of his junior season at Bucknell University. 

As a Bison, Reimer has showcased his talents on the …

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Reimer time

Former Sullivan West pitcher Bryce Reimer talks path to Bucknell

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LEWISBURG, PA – Bryce Reimer, a 2020 graduate of Sullivan West, is in the midst of his junior season at Bucknell University. 

As a Bison, Reimer has showcased his talents on the baseball diamond. 

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound left-hander has toed the rubber on the pitcher’s mound as both a starter and a reliever during his college career. 

Reimer was a two-sport star at Sullivan West, thriving in baseball and basketball, and was named captain for both sports. 

On the mound, he hurled a masterful pitching performance to begin his junior season of high school. 

Reimer said this was his favorite memory from his high school pitching  days was when he tossed a perfect game while recording 14 strikeouts against Tuxedo. 

“I felt the pressure,” Reimer said of his feeling during the perfect game. “But every time I go out there, I’m just trying to do my job and get the outs. 

“I knew I had a great defense and trusted them to make the plays.”

Performances like his perfect game garnered a lot of attention from college scouts. 

“There was always a little added pressure,” Reimer said of scouts watching him pitch. “Just knowing you were playing for your future. 

“But you knew you were there for a reason. So, you have to trust that you know what you’re capable of.”

Reimer credited his parents and brothers for always keeping him “calm, cool, and collected” in big moments. 

Coming out of high school, Reimer was ranked as the 39th best player in New York State, per Perfect Game. He was also the second-best left-handed pitcher in the state, per those same rankings. Nationally, Perfect Game ranked him 197th among southpaws. 

Reimer said that about six or seven colleges offered him a scholarship, while a lot of others recruited him. He took some of the schools that didn’t line up with his self-interest or location off his list early on. 

The two schools that it came down to, according to Reimer, were Penn State and Bucknell. He said he had been throwing at events that Bucknell attended since his freshman or sophomore year. 

Starting in junior year – when the NCAA allows schools to talk to players – Reimer said he began to develop great relationships with the Bison coaches. 

“I had a really great relationship with pitching coach Jason Neitz,” he said. “[Head coach Scott] Heather is a great guy too. 

“They really stuck out to me as two guys that were very personable and were all about helping you get the most out of your college experience.”

Reimer said that there was some thought for him to stay in New York, as Stony Brook was his first offer. 

He had briefly committed there but said, “The academic and athletic balance [at Bucknell] was unmatched compared to a lot of other programs.”

That, in addition to the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania school not being too far from home, helped him narrow down his choices. 

Reimer went on to talk about how great an engineering program Bucknell has, which was a big deciding factor for him also. 

He also spoke on how big a school Penn State is. Coming from a small town in Sullivan County to Happy Valley would have been a bit of a culture shock. 

“Even coming to Bucknell, where you’ve got 5,000 kids on campus, was pretty big for me,” he said. “Then you have Penn State which has 20,000 or 30,000 kids on campus.”

Reimer committed to Bucknell in August of 2019, following his junior season at Sullivan West. 

The biggest adjustment for him going from high school to a Division I college has been the tight schedules and trying to find a good balance between schoolwork and baseball activities.

On the field, it’s knowing that every hitter in a Division I lineup is going to be a tough out. 

As a freshman at Bucknell, Reimer appeared in seven games, including two starts. Pitching in 13 2/3 innings overall, he recorded two strikeouts in three straight appearances.  

In his sophomore season of 2022, he made 10 appearances, including one start at Penn State. Over 17 2/3 innings that season, Reimer had two appearances in which he struck out at least four batters. 

Now pitching in his junior season, Reimer has made four appearances thus far. The left-hander has struck out 10 over six innings of work. 

“No matter what happens, just knowing I gave it my all out there,” he said of what he hopes to take from his college years. 

“[Knowing that] I pushed through and made the most of my experiences, while doing everything I could athletically and academically.” 

After his four years of baseball are done, Reimer will be pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Bucknell. 

He mentioned how his schedule isn’t going to get any lighter, but he has found the right balance. 

Off the field, Reimer said he enjoys the outdoors and participating in activities such as running and hiking. 

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