Thursday, June 03, 1999
Badin's opponent well-armed
Rams play Walsh Jesuit in state semifinal today
BY SAM MELLINGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Badin's bats face a tough task today against Walsh Jesuit starting pitcher Pat O'Brien, a Notre Dame signee.
Or is it the other way around? Something's got to give in the Division II semifinal game at 11a.m. at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
The Rams' offensive resume is impressive. They have aver aged more than 10 runs a game and are hitting .402 as a team. Catcher Justin Haire leads Badin with a .495 average, while Brian Woods — Badin's starting pitcher today — is hitting .446. Woods is 8-2 with a 3.87 ERA.
Dominic Frankey (.420) and Tim Nieman (.429) also are hitting over .400, and the rest of the starters, except one, are over .350.
But Walsh Jesuit (26-4) will start O'Brien, perhaps the best pitcher Badin (26-6) has faced all year. Outfielder Aaron Moll, who has signed with the University of Cincinnat, leads a Warrior offense that sports a .402 average, equal to Badin's.
Though the batting averages are identical, Walsh Jesuit relies on pitching more than Badin, and that pitching begins with O'Brien, whose fastball has been clocked as high as 92 mph. O'Brien is 10-1 with a 2.75 ERA this season and has struck out 76 batters and walked 25 in 66 innings.
“His numbers aren't what you'd call spectacular,” said Walsh Jesuit coach Chris Kaczmar. “But he's faced good competition, we put him out there against our toughest opponents.”
Said Badin coach Mike Maus: “Normally, a real good high school pitcher shuts down any high school offense,” he said. “But if there is a plus, it's that our kids usually respond to a challenge like that.”
If any team can handle O'Brien, it would figure to be Badin, which scored 50 runs in five regional tournament games.
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