Central baseball pitches combined no-hitter against West Florida Baptist to stay undefeated

There’s something the Central baseball team hasn’t done in nearly three weeks: allow opposing teams to score.

The Jaguars, undefeated to start the 2024 season, blanked West Florida Baptist Academy, 3-0, on Monday. Plating one run in the bottom of the first after a wild pitch, then adding two more runs in the fourth frame after a balk and an infield single, Central pitched its way to victory.

Justin Smarr initially reached first base in the first inning after he was hit by a pitch. He made it to second base on an error, and reached third on the same error. That wild pitch sent him home.

Brayden Faust, in similar fashion, made it to first base on a hit by pitch and reached second base on a passed ball. Payton Holland laid down a bunt in the ensuing at-bat, and safely made it to first base when two West Florida Baptist infielders charged after the ball.

Faust made it to third on that infield single, scoring on a balk. Holland advanced to second base on the balk, advanced to third on another passed ball before Gavin Schmidt ripped an RBI single up the middle of the field.

“The small game is something we do. We work on that every day. … Maybe schools don’t do that, but that’s important,” Central head coach Coy Campbell said. “There’s going to be a time when I’ve got my one, two, three guys (in the lineup) bunting in a game. … We just try to focus on the fundamentals.”

Outside of the few runs, the Central-West Florida Baptist bout turned into a pitcher’s duel. Central’s Gavin Schmidt and Dylen Houk threw a combined no-hitter, as the Jaguars committed two errors and Schmidt allowed two walks in the game.

Only one baserunner from West Florida Baptist advanced past first base, and that was the second walk in the top of the seventh inning.

Schmidt, otherwise, threw 12 strikeouts in six innings in the contest. Houk, in his one inning of action, struck out two of the three batters he faced.

“We’re pretty good on the mound. Like I told the guys, we’re going to have nights like this where we have to pitch it and play defense,” Campbell said. “(West Florida Baptist’s) guy did a good job of keeping us off-balance. But I thought we did a good job overall of staying focused and doing what we needed to do to get the win.”

Central (8-0) is off to its best start in years, dating back to the first season posted on MaxPreps, 2010-11. Since that year, the Jaguars haven’t won their first eight games. There were a couple 7-1 starts in 2016 and 2017.

“As long as we show up over here in this dugout, it doesn’t matter who’s over there. We take it one game at a time,” Campbell said. “We want to play the best teams out there, because when it gets down to the end, hopefully we’re one of those teams having a chance to play.”

A three-headed pitching monster

Central only used two of its pitchers out of its three-pitcher rotation that has simply dominated in the first eight games of the season.

Schmidt and Houk were featured on Monday, but the three-headed monster also includes senior Justin Smarr.

“We’ve got three guys that we put out there that are pretty good. So far, this year, they’ve been dominant on the mound. I’m super proud of what they do. They come to work every day," Campbell said. "I’m glad they’re on my team.”

All three pitchers have a different style, keeping opposing teams on their toes and questioning what's being thrown at any given time. Smarr is a "power pitcher," Campbell said, throwing some fiery fastballs.

Schmidt, a left-hander, "may be the best pitcher overall," Campbell added, and Houk knows how to pick a spot.

"Between Justin throwing absolute gas, my pitches moving well and Dylen picking his spot, it's nice to have that combo," Schmidt said.

"Schmidty, he's got a lot of tail (movement) in his fastball, and that gets a lot of swings and misses. Dylen can just spot it up wherever he wants, and he has a good breaking ball," Smarr said. "I'm the one who just throws hard. ...

"If you do bad, you always have someone behind you ready to go," Smarr said of the trio.

Having three strong pitchers allows them to have more rest in between games. Campbell said most teams might have one top pitcher who is on the mound more often than not.

With the "surplus," Campbell noted all three pitchers are throwing every six or seven games.

"We've just got to stay healthy. Baseball is a long season," Campbell said. "I'm very fortunate and very blessed (to have those three). ... They’re getting their rest and their time, plus they’re position players. We’re able to maneuver them where they’re not making all those throws every day.”

A non-traditional lineup

Campbell said he hasn't had the same lineup every night during the season, making adjustments on a daily basis. With four games this week, including Monday's contest, plus three more next week, more changes are likely.

"We still ain't found the answer," Campbell said, "but we're 8-0."

Campbell noted that the first two guys in his lineup would likely be in the three and four spots on "most teams," trying to get his top batters as many at-bats as possible in tight-scoring games like Monday's.

With a rotating lineup, Campbell added the team's chemistry is like nothing he's coached in his 20-plus years. "The chemistry with this bunch is what is special," he said.

Schmidt said the team's chemistry "is the best (he's) ever had" in his time at the varsity level.

And either way, the team is confident with its current eight-game win streak to start the season.

"There’s nothing better than coming out here with the guys. There’s nothing in between us," Schmidt said. "We all just work together."

"After a win like this, we all realize we should've done a little bit better. But, baseball is baseball. Games are going to be close sometimes," Smarr said of the win. "It really makes us more mentally tough.

"A win's a win. However you can get it done, we need to get it done."

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Central baseball beats West Florida Baptist, winning eighth-straight game