Arms race: Pitching depth leads Abilene Wylie baseball into the playoffs – Abilene Reporter-News
Most high school baseball teams hope to find one or two pitchers to carry them through the regular season and into the playoffs. Wylie has a whole stable of them.
The Bulldogs enter the postseason with so many options to put on the mound, the biggest problem often is how to get them all work.
“I think that’s the most impressive thing, whenever they’re called on they’re ready to go,” Wylie coach Grant Martin said. “That goes back to their preparation, their planning for when they do get the opportunity. But hats off to them, knowing with that many arms it’s tough to get them in. But they’ve done well and done well in different situations.”
Throughout district play, Dash Albus and Brooks Gay have handled the starting duties Tuesdays and Fridays, respectively. The pair have helped set the tone for the other pitchers who might get some innings.
Albus has put together an impressive high school career, giving Wylie (20-7) a chance to win when he steps on the mound.
“Dash, we looked at it, he’s 21-2 now (in the regular season),” Martin said. “Every time he steps on the mound, it’s how he works through adversity, how he battles and adjusts. … He’s done a great job where if he’s needed to settle down, he’s settled down. And he’s a really smart pitcher when it comes to what he wants to throw and what he’s confident in.”
But in the playoffs, the intensity is ramped up.
The Bulldogs will feel that when they open their three-game, Region I-5A bi-district series against Plainview with Games 1 and 2 in Lamesa, starting at 1 p.m. Friday.
“The playoffs are next level. Everybody’s more intense, everybody wants to be there,” Albus said. “You’re not just playing two games a week, you’re playing to keep playing. That’s the mindset you have to go into it with.”
Gay is one of the juniors Wylie puts on the mound, but he started as a freshman and has the experience go to with his ability and success has followed.
“(Gay’s) done a great job and I think that started this offseason, getting in the weight room preparing for this season very well,” Martin said. “Good arm care, use for him. He’s gotten bigger, he’s maturing and he’s growing. What he’s done this year has been fabulous, but again, he’s pitched well for us in the past. For him, one more year of having confidence on the mound has helped him get out there and perform the way that he has.”
One arm the Bulldogs haven’t been able to use much this year is ACU signee Walker Piland. Injuries have limited his work, but he has gotten in games the past two weeks.
“I’ve only pitched eight innings this year, but I’ve gotten a little experience (this year),” Piland said. “I’ve pitched in the past in the playoffs and district my sophomore year. It’s been tough, but I keep going and keep playing hard and whenever my name’s called, be ready to go.”
That comes with talent, but it also comes with the willingness to work even when he knew he wasn’t able to pitch.
“Over the last two weeks, the times he has come in and pitched for us he’s done a great job,” Martin said. “He’s a guy that’s always ready. I think the way he prepares and the way he’s in a situation where he gets himself ready. He puts a lot of work into it and it definitely shows when he goes out there.”
After those three, it’s a case of pick-your-poison.
The Bulldogs can use Jaxon Hansen, Cooper Hrbacek, Dante Cano or Grayson Bearden. Reed Hughes has been on the mound this season, too.
“The fact of the matter is, you don’t know when you’re going to go in, you don’t know when we’re going to call your name and you’re ready says something about the kids,” Martin said. “Whether they’re starting or coming in in relief, they’ve been great. It’s definitely been a strong suit for us this year, no doubt. … They’re all team guys, so they understand it, understand the big picture and what’s expected of them. That’s a huge, huge deal for our team.”
It also takes pressure off whoever starts. Every starter wants to pitch a complete game. But it isn’t all on the starters’ shoulders, or arm.
“You want to go as long as you can, but if you can only give four innings you’ve got 10 other guys that can come in and get the job done,” Albus said. “It’s a big relief knowing that.”
And in a three-game series, there aren’t many teams who can match the Bulldogs arm-for-arm over a possible 21 innings.
“It’s great how much depth we have with our pitching staff, but this whole team’s got so much talent that you’ve got to do your job the best you can and if it’s not your day they’ve got your back,” Gay said. “We’re not one of those teams that’s going to want to play a one-game playoff.”
Piland headlines the senior class that has had eight players sign. That includes Albus (Temple College), Hansen (Angelina) and Hrbacek (McLennan) while Cano, a junior, is committed to Texas Tech. Gay plans on narrowing down his options, and possibly making a decision, this summer.
They pitch to Landon Williams, who is committed to Louisiana Lafayette. That’s a lot of college talent in the Wylie battery, no matter who is on the mound. But it’s not something the Bulldogs dwell on.
“I think it’s just an added bonus,” Piland said. “It’s cool, knowing that half the team is going to play college baseball, but we’re still focused as a team and have to play the way we know how to play.”
The Bulldogs have also been battle tested through a tough District 4-5A slate that included three games against each opponent.
District champion Lubbock-Cooper is No. 3 in the latest Diamond Pro/THSB 5A top 25 poll, Wylie is No. 18 and third-place Lubbock Coronado is tied for 25th entering the postseason. It wasn’t just them, but every team proved it could be a tough game each time out.
“That goes back to our district. They’ve pitched in (big) games before, but being ready to pitch against every opponent,” Martin said. “They’ve done a good job of getting ready to go. That’s been helpful and big for us to have to prepare two times a week for those teams we’re going to play. They’ve done a good job, knowing when they’re going to go. And the ability for us to give them some rest, not spike their pitch counts, has been nice their last two outings.”
There’s a shift when games go from nondistrict to district and another shift going into the playoffs. Even so, the game doesn’t change.
“We’ve got to keep it rolling,” Gay said. “It’s important to know that it’s the next step, it’s do or die. But it’s still baseball. You just go out there and do the best you can. … This time of year, we’re doing everything we can to win these games. We have to keep the mindset on right now and right now it’s playoffs.”
Jordan Hofeditz covers Abilene high schools and colleges, Big Country schools and other local sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jhofeditz. If you appreciate locally drive news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.