'It was dominating': Illini Bluffs pitcher impresses in 20-strikeout performance

In front of a potential college suitor and several talent evaluators, Josh Vaughn put on the pitching display of a lifetime.

The junior struck out 20 batters as Illini Bluffs beat Brimfield/Elmwood, 6-0, on Thursday afternoon in Glasford. His strikeout mark just misses cracking the Illinois High School Association top-20 record for strikeouts in a game.

“My top, all-time performance,” said Vaughn, who accomplished the feat in a regulation seven-inning game.

His coach, Troy Teel, was equally impressed as Bradley University, Gavin Smith from Prep Baseball Report Illinois and Ben Diggle of Diggle’s Diamonds looked on.

“It was dominating,” Teel said. “I can't say that in the 15 years I’ve been watching varsity baseball fairly closely that I’ve seen another outing like that out of small school baseball.

“We were ready to ride Josh this year knowing he was going to be our No. 1 when he came in. He has surprised me a little bit in the sense that his command has really developed.”

Vaughn faced 25 batters, surrendering two hits, hitting a pair of batters and forcing a pop out on 92 pitches. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound right hander says he mainly used his fastball – hovering around 85-87 mph, then topping out at 88 – for most of the game and only threw one changeup.

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He retired the first nine batters via strikeout.

“That’s when I found my groove,” he said following retiring the side in the third, “and I just had to keep on rolling.”

However, his catcher, Chris Drake, saw his classmate get in the zone way before the game even started.

“Normally, he likes to have fun and mess around a little bit,” Drake said, “but he kind of took it more seriously this game. In the bullpen, he was throwing really good. He wasn’t off his game or anything.

“I figured from then on, he was going to be locked in.”

This outing was a culmination of hard work over the last six months. Vaughn has worked out consistently with IB pitching coach Larry Milsteadt since before school started, increasing his velocity 7 mph, hitting 91 during a bullpen earlier this year. Teel has been a witness to Vaughn’s talent since sixth grade, calling it "no secret."

“When he steps on the mound,” the four-season coach said, “he’s just focused on doing his job. … He just stepped up and did what Josh does, takes care of business on the mound.”

These aren’t the first impressive innings he has thrown this season. Vaughn, who holds scholarship offers from two Division II schools, worked two innings against South Fulton on March 21.

On just 33 pitches – 24 being strikes – the Tigers ace recorded five strikeouts in two innings of work.

“We can go and face a lot of teams,” Teel said, “because Josh is an equalizer. When your bats aren’t hot, he can take care of things on the mound and make that ballgame a whole lot closer than maybe it otherwise would have been.”

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IB (4-0) has a strong pitching staff following last season’s run to a Class 1A sectional. Brandon Coats joins Vaughn and Drake along with Toby Cooper, who is still rehabbing an ankle injury from basketball, as a tough four-man rotation.

Scoring runs, though, is something that has Teel a little bit concerned. But with Vaughn, give him one or two across the plate and he’ll hum.

“It’s perfect,” Vaughn said of the run support he got against Brimfield. “Have a little cushion. It makes me feel a little better and that the team can hit the way they do.”

Want to catch Vaughn in action for his next start? Head to Eureka next Friday for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch.

Or, maybe, wait until June when Dozer Park hosts the Class 1A state finals where Illini Bluffs could make the program’s first-ever appearance.

“That’s the end goal, for sure,” Vaughn said.

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA baseball: Illini Bluffs pitcher records 20 strikeouts in victory