Oak Ridge is stuck in a district loaded with quality pitching, with the likes of The Woodlands’ Chris Andritsos and Bryan’s Willy Amador plying their trade in District 14-5A.
Andritsos is pledged to Oklahoma, and Amador signed with Rice.
Fortunately for the War Eagles, Luken Baker, Drew Morytko and Tyler Miller have answered the challenge.
“We’ve got a lot of kids who can throw,” coach Mike Pirtle said.
“We’re very lucky there. We’ve been very fortunate to have some good arms, and matching up is the main thing in our district because we’ve got so many good arms.”
With the trio of returning pitchers leading the way, the Eagles were 19-2 going into this week. More importantly, they were 4-1 in district.
Oak Ridge went 20-12 in Pirtle’s first season at the helm, going 8-4 in district to finish second despite changes on the bench and on the field, where Pirtle was forced to shuffle his lineup periodically.
It lost to Kingwood in three games in the first round of the playoffs.
Pitchers Tyler Shumpert (Dallas Baptist) and Marshall Kasowski (Panola College) graduated, along with catcher Gavin Grissom and shortstop Branden Navarro, but the returners picked up the slack.
Baker, a hard-throwing righthander, was 5-0 on the mound, with a 1.09 ERA and 51 strikeouts. He’s also one of the team’s top hitters, with a team-high 21 RBIs with a .452 batting average entering the week.
“He’s a fastball pitcher, but he’s got a curve ball and a changeup,” Pirtle said. “He’s got it all.”
Baker also has plenty of help, with Morytko and Miller giving the Eagles three experienced arms on the mound.
Offensively, Baker is joined by senior Alex Walker, who hits ahead of him in the order.
The right fielder took a team-leading .475 batting average into Tuesday’s showdown with The Woodlands.
The San Jacinto College pledge also had 19 RBIs and three home runs.
“We expect him to hit for a good average and drive guys in,” Pirtle said. “He’s got some scouts looking at him, so he’s come on for us.”
Joey Barrile, first baseman Kim Plympton and second baseman/outfielder Riley McKnight also play key roles.
Barrile, who was hitting .327, is capable of filling any role.
“He’s played a little bit everywhere and he also pitches,” Pirtle said. “He’s played third, second and short, and done a great job.
“We’ve had to move him around to help our team out and he’s answered the challenge.”
The War Eagles’ only losses through 21 games were to Mansfield, at the Arlington Martin tournament, and College Park in their second district game. The Cavaliers won that one 6-4 after going up 4-0 in the first.
“We’ve learned how to win games,” Pirtle said. “Sometimes we do it by pitching, sometimes we do it by hitting.
“It’s been a combination of things.”
They put everything together in a win over Martin at its tourney, but Pirtle said they’ve won when they didn’t play well, too.
“We’ve had some games where we didn’t play well and we ended up winning, and sometimes that’s a sign of a good team,” he said.
They’ll need their best efforts going forward.
After an expected showdown with Andritsos on Tuesday, the Eagles take on Bryan, and most likely Amador, on Friday.
“They’re probably going to throw the kid who’s going to Rice, so that’s another big challenge,” Pirtle said.
Oak Ridge faces College Park next Tuesday, April 8.
“We’re sitting pretty good for the playoffs,” Pirtle said. “We’ve just got to keep playing, and take them one game at a time.”