Bend Elks pitcher Simon Lemke sits in the Elks' dugout before a game on Friday at Vince Genna Stadium in Bend. (Joe Kline/The Bulletin)

This offseason the San Diego State baseball team was active in trying to find players in the transfer portal.

One of the players whom the Aztecs signed out of the portal was former Mountain View High (and current Bend Elks) pitcher Simon Lemke, who over the past two springs has worked his way through the junior college ranks to land on a Division I pitching staff.

“Those two years of junior college can really test your patience,” Lemke said. “I just trusted the process and I was able to have some really good Division I options. And I ended up signing with a really good program.”

The 6-foot right-handed pitcher made it from Bend to San Diego through multiple trips into the transfer portal, and he picked up a new throwing motion along the way.

After graduating from Mountain View in 2023, he spent a year pitching at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash., where he struck out 53 batters in 60 2/3 innings pitched and posted a 3.56 earned-run average. He was named to the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Association Division All-America Team and was a gold glover as a relief pitcher.

Then came the first trip into the portal, where he landed at College of Southern Nevada, another JUCO perhaps mostly known as the college where Bryce Harper played prior to being the top pick in the MLB draft and becoming a league MVP. And again, Lemke was effective on the mound, finishing the season with a 2.16 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched.

Then came another trip into the portal. This time on the other side it wasn’t another JUCO or a small school or a dead end. It was a Division 1 program in Southern California.

“I knew the coaches were serious about taking the program to the next level, and that is a big reason why I signed,” Lemke said. “It is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”

The past three summers, Lemke has pitched for his hometown college summer league team.

This year has been his most impactful summer with the Bend Elks, as he has been the workhorse out of the bullpen.

“Anytime we are in a bind, bases loaded, it doesn’t matter,” said Elks coach Allen Cox. “He comes in with ice in his veins. He has different stuff that nobody has seen. His pitches come out of his rib cage.

“The arm has been there, the competitiveness has been there,” Cox continued. “He just has that professionalism that he brings. He has a little different walk to him now. Nothing really bothers him, which is really good to have as a young pitcher.”

In his third season pitching with the Elks, Lemke leads the team in strikeouts with 29. He has made 16 appearances, pitched 27 innings and has a 2.00 ERA. That is quite the improvement from his first summer with the Elks, when he gave up 19 earned runs in 27 2/3 innings for a 6.18 ERA.

“It is way different this year,” Lemke said. “I’ve developed a ton so it’s a lot more fun. Out of high school I wasn’t used to playing every day, but now I am.”

It was with the Elks that Lemke first began experimenting with his new throwing motion, which is somewhere between a side-arm throw and a submarine pitch. The fresh-out-of-high school pitcher was having a hard time making the transition from dominating high school batters to facing college hitters.

“I was struggling to get outs so I dropped my arm down and started having some success,” Lemke said. “So I decided to take off with it and pursue it.”

Added Elks pitching coach Geoff Brown: “It’s funky.”

Lemke played shortstop during his youth, so making the arm-slot change wasn’t all that different from the variety of arm angles that a middle infielder uses. But still, it took some time to reach a point where he could throw from the new arm slot with consistency.

“I’m athletic enough to make the change,” Lemke said. “I’ve had some good coaching, especially at (College of Southern Nevada), to help with the mechanics. It really took off this year on how my body should move to throw that way.”

When the summer in Bend ends, Lemke will head to San Diego to play for new Aztecs coach Kevin Vance, who just might know how to get the most out of Lemke and his quirky throwing motion.

“He’s dealt with a good amount of side-armed guys like me,” Lemke said. “The next step after D1 is getting drafted or signing to pro ball. And I think that San Diego State is where I have the best shot to do that.”