Eric Steensma went from an unproven pitcher to a college-bound recruit in less than a year.

The Lyons Township senior is no longer an unknown hurler. He committed to Tennessee-Martin in the offseason.

Last season, Steensma’s career path was full of questions and doubts.

After suffering an elbow injury that required a significant amount of rest and rehab before his critical junior season, Steensma, a right-hander, wasn’t sure about his role on the Lions. Steensma said he opened last season by pitching one inning in a junior varsity game.

“I wasn’t sure how I would bounce back from the injury,” Steensma said. “I put in a lot of work and rehab with my trainers. It was going to be a big year for me in recruiting. I pitched through the pain in my sophomore year. I was out for six months.

“I basically put my arm through a state of paralysis. I knew I had a lot of question marks.”

Any doubt about Steensma’s health or future were answered quickly.

He had a dominating effort against York in his varsity debut last season. He rode a strong start to a 6-0 record with a 1.00 ERA in 41 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 49 and was named to the West Suburban Silver All-Conference team. He capped a stunning turn of events by committing to Tennessee-Martin in August.

“Going from [people] don’t know anything about me to committing is definitely an accomplishment,” Steensma said. “This time last year, I sat down with [Lyons] coach [Kevin] Diete and thought my role would be a reliever and backup starter. From that York game, everything just took off and all my pitchers were working. Once I came back, there was nothing wrong with my arm. I just took a bulldog mentality on the mound. Coach Diete really helped me.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Steensma, who is 2-0 this season, isn’t an overpowering pitcher. He relies on a two-seam and four-seam fastball, a curveball and a changeup to go with pinpoint control.

“Eric is such a competitive person, especially on the mound,” Diete said. “He gets on the mound and turns into a different person. He’s normally a quiet and reserved guy. He’s very accurate with his pitches and hits his spots very well and keeps hitters off-balance.

“He pitches to contact a lot. He exploded on the scene for us last year. We knew he was going to be a good pitcher, but he really opened our eyes and improved. I hope he continues to excel this year.”

This year, Steensma is one part of a dominating staff for the Lions. Senior Grant Leader, an Illinois recruit, and senior Andrew Gatland, a Middlebury commit, headline one of the best and deepest pitching staffs in the state.

“We are fortunate to have three quality guys,” Diete said. “They are able to adapt to anything and really carry themselves with confidence on the mound. It’s nice to have these guys. A lot of the coaches I talked to in the area say we have one of the best rotations in the state. It’s surreal to me. I think it’s a talented team, and hopefully we can build off these guys. They are very mature for their age.”

Steensma said he thrives against talented competition. He acknowledged the Lions, led by their pitching staff, have a shot at a long playoff run.

“I think we also have a lot of talented offensive players and we can put some hits together to go with our defense, which is really good,” he said.