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Their Year To Shine?

Mitchell Eyeing At Playoff Push If Offense Shows Up

Eric Horchy/SUNCOAST NEWS

Mitchell RHP Matthew Hewitt is expected to lead the talented Mustang pitching staff this year.

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: February 25, 2008

Updated:

TRINITY - TRINITY - If the old adage that pitching wins championships holds true, first-year Mitchell High School baseball coach Scot Wilcox should be feeling pretty good about his team's chances within what looks to be a hotly contested Class 6A, District 7 field.

On paper, this year's Mustangs have the look of a group ready to threaten for its first-ever district title. If the goal is attained, it will be due in large part to of the work done on the mound.

"We're definitely going to have to rely on our quality pitching," Wilcox said when asked about the likelihood of Mitchell contending in such a strong division. "I'm confident that we can compete, especially with that. We've got some good arms."

Those arms Wilcox intends to ride throughout the duration of the season belong to the junior trio of Matthew Hewitt, Patrick Schuster and Ryan Garton.

All three have varsity experience from 2007, though Garton's time on the hill was limited due to preseason shoulder surgery.

Hewitt is expected to be the staff ace, Wilcox said of his 6-foot-6, hard-throwing righty.

"We're going to lean on Hewitt," he said. "He works batters, he's not worried about strikeouts and he's real level-headed and even-keeled the whole time. That's why he's successful."

Along with the solid pitching core, the Mustangs are also deep in experience throughout the entire roster. Of the 18 slots, all but one – freshman center fielder Kevin Games – are filled by upperclassmen.

Where the question marks typically begin to sprout for Mitchell, though, is in the batter's box.

Wilcox referred to the troubles generating offense last year – he was the first-year junior varsity head coach at the time – but said he expects more production with this squad.

A large reason behind Wilcox's rationale is catcher and first baseman Doug Burlett, the Ridgewood transfer who adds immediate pop to the Mustang lineup. He would have been the Rams' top returning bat after hitting .432 with 25 RBI and three home runs in 2007.

"He hit an absolute bomb at Countryside, a no-doubter," Wilcox said, referring to their early-season 2-0 victory over the Cougars. "I'm going to be depending on him for our power."

Second baseman Sean Howard and catcher Zack Newman will provide glimpses of power as well, and Wilcox said Garton – who also plays shortstop – needs to be one of his more consistent producers at the plate.

"And then we got this little freshman, Games," Wilcox said. "He's doing a great job leading off for us. He's a big addition to this team, a pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure if he was going to be ready for varsity, but I threw him right in the fire and he's doing well."

In Mitchell's first two regular season games, the Mustangs struggled with a combined two runs on seven hits. The next two outings showed improvement – 13 runs and 13 hits – but were still erratic.

Wilcox remains steadfast in his belief the bats are ready to heat up. "I feel real good actually, because we're not even playing our best baseball," he said. "But if you can win games without hitting, like we've been doing, you can definitely win more when you hit."

With a district that includes Hillsborough's Gaither, Alonso and Sickles and Pinellas' St. Petersburg and Countryside, Wilcox knows they are going to have to be able to do just.

"I like the attitude of the kids on the team," he said. "They're right on right now and they have confidence in themselves. They just all need to do their small part and realize they don't have to do too much."

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