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Brayden Butzin makes difference in tiny ways that lead to outs for Oak Harbor baseball

Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin
Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin

Good catchers create outs by mowing runners down with throws and blocking pitches in the dirt.

Elite catchers steal strikes, which can also lead to outs. Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin collects more outs than most and enough strikes to make a difference, as a sophomore.

Make no mistake, Butzin will frame an opponent. They'll get in trouble, even though Oak Harbor's pitcher failed to throw a strike.

Rockets coach Nick Lance taught Butzin everything he knows. It's already clear to see.

Butzin is best friend to Rockets pitchers because he makes them better than they are, including ace Mike LaLonde. Oh, he's also batting .451 with 25 runs and 22 RBI.

"He teaches me everything about baseball and catching and technique," he said. "He harps on my footwork throwing to second base. Heel to toe and keep the ball by my ear and throw it. My job back there is to hep the pitcher.

"Get as many pitches as I can [framing]. Blocking and controlling the run game. I'm hitting a lot better. I decided to come out more aggressive and drive the ball the other way. I try to help the team as much as I can."

Oak Harbor coach Nick Lance congratulates Brayden Butzin after his triple.
Oak Harbor coach Nick Lance congratulates Brayden Butzin after his triple.

Lance was a catcher for Toledo.

"From one catcher to another, he does a great job blocking the baseball," he said of Butzin. "He takes pride in that. It's not easy. He give the boys confidence they can make a mistake. It's a thankless job people don't realize how difficult the position is.

"He has a plus arm and he tries to control the run game. At the plate, he's getting it done. And he's not done."

Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin frames a pitch.
Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin frames a pitch.

Framing a pitch means you try to subtly bring a pitch outside the strike zone back in. It's about centimeters and inches, or the ump will know it's a show.

You can't do it every time or they'll think you're crying wolf, even when it's done perfectly. However, you have to basically do it every time, even when it's a strike, so the umpire has trouble reading you.

It's a bit of cat and mouse business. It's an advanced skill.

He backs up the corner bases. He's matured as a leader, although he's quiet.

He's hard on himself but knows he sets an example and he's learning to move one and channel the energy productively.

Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin blocks a pitch.
Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin blocks a pitch.

He started at catcher as a freshman. He notched two wins on the mound tossing four innings without allowing a run this season.

"The goals next year are to come out and win the NBC championship in the first year," he said of the imminent shift.

Oak Harbor completed two games Friday against Willard, needing a sweep to earn a tie with Edison for the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division crown. The Rockets started a suspended game 8-8 as the home team and lost in extra innings, before Butzin tripled and drove in three runs in a win.

"Going into the year Edison was the team to look out for," Lance said. "I thought we could make a run and we did. We had a hiccup [Friday] and a hiccup against Margaretta. We were ecstatic to get one from Edison early in the year.

"We lost to Edison by two. We're one of the best teams in the league. [Edison has] a great staff, but I'll put any of our boys up against anybody to show up and make it happen."

Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin dives back to first base.
Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin dives back to first base.

Oak Harbor plays Wednesday's winner between Port Clinton and Margaretta at 5 p.m. Friday at Oak Harbor.

"We faced adversity, came out in the second game heartbroken and scored some runs," Butzin said. "We showed we can handle adversity."

Butzin's fingertips and face will continue to be threatened by skipping hardballs. He doesn't mind.

"I play football," the safety said. "You hit and you get back up. As a catcher, you take the ball off you chest and arm and keep going through it."

Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin dives in to third base with a triple.
Oak Harbor's Brayden Butzin dives in to third base with a triple.

Historically referred to as the tools of ignorance, catcher is a particularly distinctive position. Butzin stands out for his overall athletic ability at the position, with the ability to pop up quickly and stay under even low flying foul balls anywhere behind the plate as he runs all over and dives gauging their destination.

"He's one of the toughest guys you'll meet," LaLonde said. "You can have faith he'll block the ball with a runner on third. You have to have toughness to play catcher. He has that toughness above that."

Still, it's hard to match his origin's pain threshold and durability.

"I love it because my mom was an all-state catcher at Oak Harbor," he said of Lisa Overmyer in 1996. "She's tough."

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

Twitter: @MatthewHornNH

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Oak Harbor baseball's Brayden Butzin bats .451, in addition to defense