Page 7 - Diamond Roundup Tri Lakes 2015

DOMINATING PRESENCE
Hornets pitcher setting high standards
Going into his senior season, Blaine Knight is on top of the world.
Why wouldn’t he be? he course of the Bryant Hornet ace’s imme-
diate baseball future is set for Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas, likely due to the outstanding numbers he put up as a pitcher in 2014 — a year that saw his Bryant Hornets win their third 7A state baseball championship in ive seasons.
His 11-0 record and 0.43 earned run av- erage in 2014 — allowing just four earned runs the entire year — may not be topped this year or for many more to come.
But success wasn’t always this easy or this grandiose for Knight.
During his sophomore season, the Hornets made their annual trip to Texas for a tournament in Waxahachie. Knight made the irst start of his career against Midlo- thian and walked away getting just one out and allowing nine runs on nine hits. Knight threw just 20 pitches, 15 for strikes in that outing, with 9-0 the inal score. Knight hasn’t lost since.
Head coach Kirk Bock — the son of baseball coaching legend Billy Bock — said Knight needed to undergo “a reconstruc- tion” during his freshman year.
“He came in with the same body type, but not as tall,” Bock said. “He was wiry, and his arm was loose and had some good upside, but he couldn’t stay on line.”
Bock said that as a freshman and
BY BRUCE GUTHRIE
Photo by William Harvey
sophomore his star pitcher worked hard
to improve his mechanics and his mental focus on the mound. he “light switch,” as Bock put it, came on during Knight’s junior year.
“He learned how to pitch, and not just throw,” Bock said.
What Bock saw in Knight from the beginning was what he termed as a “loose arm,” meaning that his throwing motion was easy and not so labor intensive.
“It’s what everyone wants, but not what everybody has,” Bock said.
hat easy throwing motion on the mound reminds Bock of what he saw from Ben Wells when he arrived in the summer of 2009.
“hat’s a big-league arm,” Bock said of Wells at the time in a prediction that may come true. Wells is working his way up in the Chicago Cubs organization and still inds time to come work out and help in Bryant during the ofseason.
While the throwing might look easy when Knight is on the mound, he still works hard to be the best he can be at this level, Knight said.
“he hardest thing is spotting up all my pitches,” Knight said, “doing the same thing every time. You have to be consistent with everything.”
He has four pitches that he uses in a game. His fastball, which tops out at 90 mph, a cutter, a slider and a change.
Bock said Knight’s best pitch is the fast- ball, while Knight touted his slider.
Bock’s argument for the fastball is the movement and life it possesses coming out of Knight’s hand.
“When he gets on top of it, he’s got a lot of depth to it, which means it’s sinking late on hitters,” Bock said.
Knight has come a long way since that irst Texas outing. Bock said his hurler turned the corner the next year in Texas when Knight threw ive innings, allowed no earned runs on four hits, one walk and ive strikeouts on 69 total pitches.
“Before then, he couldn’t locate [his pitches],” Bock said. “He was a thrower.” Once Knight bought into movement
rather than velocity in his outings, he became a dominant pitcher. On March
14, Knight went back to Texas against the same team that shelled him for nine runs in his irst career start, returning the favor in dominant fashion by throwing a two-hit complete-game shutout.
In six frames, Knight allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out eight. Just three Midlothian hitters managed to get a three-ball count against Knight.
Knight’s past is one of a champion. His future has him set to wear Razorback red. For now, his focus is on continuing his dominating present.
Other up-and-coming players in the Tri-Lakes area
BEN MADISON
BAUXITE MINERS
• .457 batting average,
.518 OBP, .652 SLG in 2014
• 49 Ks in 2014
HUNTER MCDADE
OUACHITA WARRIORS
• .427 batting average, .551 OBP in 2014
• 2.42 ERA in 2014
HUNTER STRONG
SHERIDAN YELLOWJACKETS
• .490 batting average, .555 OBP, 42 RBIs,
23 stolen bases in 2014