Senior pitcher gets nod as state semifinal starter
JOHNSON CITY — Johnson City High School senior pitcher Laramie Blackwell will be the starter June 8 when the Eagles (31-6) face Stamford (21-3) in a single-elimination Class 1A state semifinal game at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. First pitch is at noon.
Johnson City returns to the baseball state tournament for the first time in 31 years.
Head coach Randy Rutherford said he is confident the five players on the pitching staff, including seniors Dylan Carter and Cody Smith, will be ready if called upon.
They have at least seven wins each, Rutherford said, and because he was meticulous with how he used them, they are fresh for the state tournament, he said.
“I gave them enough work to stay crisp,” he said.
And though the Eagles hit all of their 20 home runs during the regular season, the coach said players have come through at the plate. He also said the team has the quickness to force opposing pitchers to be predictable as speedy base running makes pitchers rely on fastballs instead of slower pitches.
Nine seniors on the team are four-year lettermen and have participated in the playoffs for the past four seasons. Last year’s loss to eventual Class 2A champion Rogers still sticks with the Eagles, athletic director Tom Braden said.
That’s been a big reason for Johnson City’s success.
“They’ve been there for each other for the past four years,” he said. “We were moved to Class 1A and being committed to working hard like they have been … they’ve been able to have the success they deserve.”
Rutherford doesn’t believe Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express triple-A baseball team, will be overwhelming to his players. He admits there might be pre-game jitters, but his athletes know when it’s time to play ball.
“I think they’ll be fine, once the first pitch is thrown,” he said. “The kids have been in 12 rounds of the playoffs.”