BRANDON — The Castlewood Ravens have been the next chapter in Gus Steiger’s baseball career.

Back in 2020, the former South Dakota State Jackrabbit signed with the Cincinnati Reds as part of the abbreviated MLB draft after junior season in Brookings.

With so much uncertainty as the 2020 baseball season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, Steiger wanted to lock down a plan to continue his baseball career.

“It was during COVID,” Steiger said. “We had a COVID shortened year my junior year and that meant the draft was shortened and so much uncertainty was coming for 2021. I just kind of sured up being able to play in ‘21 and filling out a dream.”

The right-handed shortstop went straight to the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, the Daytona Tortugas, where Steiger got his first glimpse at professional baseball.

“The process is games everyday and it’s cutthroat baseball,” said Steiger of the minor leagues. “You’re playing good teams, good pitchers, good everything, everyday and got to be sharp and stay on.”

In his 111 games in the minor league’s, Steiger batted .240 with a .326 on-base%, adding 16 doubles and 39 RBIs. Between stints in rookie ball and Single-A, Steiger says the biggest difference from college baseball was the missing team aspect.

“I think the biggest difference is in college, you’re a team. In the minors, people are going to get moved up, down, cut, released, all of the above,” said Steiger. “You find your core group of friends but those friends might not be with you the whole year.”

Ultimately, Steiger called it a career in Feb. 2023 when a mutual friend asked him to play South Dakota amateur baseball with the Castlewood Ravens.

And all Steiger has done is dominate in three seasons with the Ravens, leading the team in batting average all three seasons with the Eastern Dakota League member, totaling a .565 average with five doubles, two triples, five homers and 27 RBIs in 13 games.

“Great group of guys,” Steiger said of the Ravens. “It’s so fun playing with them.”

Now in 2025, Steiger is spearheading Castlewood (18-3) to the Class B state quarterfinals after trouncing the Clark Traders for the third time this season, 10-1.

“They’re getting hot at the right time. It was a scary sight to see them again,” Steiger said of Clark. “They didn’t have all of their guys, especially the first game when we played them this year. They had them all today and we knew it was going to be a tough matchup.”

Steiger, Castlewood’s lead-off batter, added two hits, a walk and two RBIs, including a seventh-inning homer over the centerfield fence.

“I thought I got under it a little bit, the wind might have helped it a little bit,” Steiger said of the homer. “I just saw him jump for it, saw his glove go over and the ball did too.”

Steiger will look to keep his impressive hitting and the red hot Ravens rolling in the state quarterfinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. against the Platte Killer Tomatoes.