Akiva Epstein pitching for Team Israel at the U23 European Championship qualifier in Zurich, Switzerland (Photo by Israel Baseball)
(Israel Baseball) – SAR High School won the Columbus Baseball Invitational (CBI) for the third consecutive year last week, establishing a dynasty in Jewish day school baseball for the Bronx, NY program. Twenty-three schools from across the country made the trip, though for some of the standouts, the event was more than a tournament — it’s a stepping stone toward representing the Jewish people on a larger stage.
It’s happened before. Just ask right-hander Akiva Epstein, a Cincinnati kid who went from the CBI to pitching for Team Israel.
His love for baseball started with games of catch with his dad, where he also developed a devotion to Cincinnati’s major-league team, the Reds. He knew early that hitting wasn’t his strongest tool, so he turned to pitching — though that didn’t stop him from idolizing 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto and three-time All-Star Brandon Phillips.
On the mound, he modeled himself after two Reds starters: Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray. Not because he threw like either of them, but because he picked attributes from each and built on them.
“I don’t throw 97 (mph), but I’m similar to these guys in the way that they move down the mound,” he said. “Even those pitchers probably couldn’t be more different in the way they throw, and their arm slots and stuff, but once I started thinking about modeling after somebody, that’s when I turned a lot more towards the pitchers.”
That development caught the attention of Columbus Torah Academy (CTA) baseball coach Steve Guinan.
