Quick Q&A: A.J. Hinz, Annandale baseball

The 6-4 Hinz is a hard-throwing righthander who also was a forward for the Cardinals' basketball team that played in the Class 2A state tournament.

Q: What is your strong point on the mound?

A: I can throw hard while locating my pitches.

Q: How hard do you throw?

A: Last summer I was timed and I hit 90 [mph] twice.

Q: Have you made a college commitment yet?

A: I haven't committed anywhere seeing as how I'm still just a junior. But I have gotten a lot of D-I and high D-II teams sending me mail.

A: Personally, I don't like it because I don't really need it. My arm never gets sore. I have a couple of friends who have to go home and wrap their arms up completely in ice after they pitch, but I don't have to do any of that. I'm lucky in that it just heals up.

Q: Favorite baseball memory?

A: Last year I threw a no-hitter against Eden Valley-Watkins in the section [playoffs]. I had 18 strikeouts and I threw 112 pitches. I would have gotten taken out earlier, but I had the no-hitter. When it was over, I felt like I could go out and do it again.

Q: Was it stressful pitching a no-hitter in the playoffs?

A: No. I didn't even know I had a no-hitter until the game was over. One of the kids on my team had a deep fly in left where he jumped to catch it and it went off his glove. I thought that was a hit, but I guess the official scorer gave him an error. I pitched the rest of the game thinking they had one hit. It wasn't until after the game my coach told me it was a no-hitter.

A: I used to really like to watch [former Miami Marlins pitcher] Jose Fernandez when he was alive [he died last year in a boating accident]. And I like to watch Clayton Kershaw [of the Los Angeles Dodgers]. He keep batters off-balance and mixes speeds so well.

Q: You played forward in the Class 2A basketball state tournament in the semifinals loss to Minnehaha Academy. Your thoughts on that game?

A: We felt good at halftime, only being down four to the top-ranked team in the state. In the second half, they brought a different intensity. That Jalen Suggs, he's a beast.