DeLand baseball's mound domination leads Bulldogs to hot start: 'These guys are too good'

ORANGE CITY — During the sixth inning Tuesday, Luke Hoffmann left DeLand’s dugout and trotted to the bullpen. He warmed up to finish a tight ballgame against University.

But he never got in.

“I mean, I’m supposed to be the closer, but these guys are too good,” Hoffmann said, smiling. “They don’t need to let me throw.”

After the Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-2 in the top of the seventh, they kept Eli Hoffmann on the mound for his fourth inning of work, and he closed it out. His final line: no hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

He earned the win in relief of Braden Myers, who started and tossed three frames while giving up only one earned run.

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This is why DeLand is off to one of the hottest starts in the Volusia-Flagler area.

At 7-2, it hasn’t mattered which pitcher is on the hill. The Bulldogs have allowed 11 runs in nine games — an average of 1.2 per game.

They have surrendered more than two runs only once, and they already have four shutouts.

Predictably, that will help a club win. A lot.

“Our staff and defense and attention to detail is our bread and butter right now,” coach Zach Spivey said.

The rotation begins with senior Bryson Treichel.

Last year, Treichel made only two appearances. He started the second game of the season against Spruce Creek. While at the plate, he fouled a ball off, and it hit his face, breaking multiple bones.

Now, he’s back and dealing.

Through his first three starts, he racked up 17 innings and 20 Ks. He has given up just one earned run for an ERA of 0.41.

While senior catcher Derek Dejesus said none of DeLand’s pitchers make his life difficult, he admits Treichel’s 91-mph fastball hurts his hand the most.

“They just dot everything,” Dejesus said.

Luke Hoffmann also runs his heater up to 91 mph despite this being his first year as a high school pitcher. The Bulldogs’ coaches watched Hoffmann, who also lines up as a middle infielder, throw from shortstop and thought his arm would translate to the mound.

It has.

In four innings, he has not allowed a hit.

“I come in there and try to throw it as hard as I can and miss barrels,” said Hoffmann, a Florida SouthWestern commit.

Then, there’s Nathan Ricko, a junior committed to Stetson. His fastball velocity sits in the upper 80s. Jeremy Wright will pitch against Spruce Creek Friday. As a sophomore, he also dials up his fastball into the upper 80s and has touched the low 90s.

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Junior Eli Hoffmann, with his standout performance Tuesday, ranks second on the team in innings pitched with nine. He has not given up a run.

Christian Baez and Jaiden Palmer have each fired five scoreless frames, too.

Overall, 11 Bulldogs have thrown a pitch. The strategy remains simple: attack the strike zone.

“We have a little bit harder throwers and more experienced arms this year,” Treichel said. “I think our pitching is definitely better than it ever has been here.”

DeLand has claimed victories with final scores of 2-1, 2-0 and 1-0. Its offense has scored more than three runs just four times in nine games. The Bulldogs think they can become more consistently explosive.

“The bats will come alive as the season goes on,” senior infielder Ethan Jones said. “I think we’re very good when we need it most.”

Like last week, during a 1-0 pitchers’ duel with Deltona, when Ricko jacked a walkoff home run in extra innings. Or Tuesday, when Jones smacked a two-run double to give DeLand its first lead over University in the sixth inning.

“We just really feel like we’re going to be able to do something with this team,” Luke Hoffmann said.

No matter who is on the mound.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school baseball: DeLand Bulldogs boast big arms, stingy defense