Kaden Howell's return to form deepens McKeel's already stellar pitching staff
LAKELAND — An oblique injury slowed McKeel pitcher Kaden Howell to start the season but Thursday was anything but good news for the Wildcats’ opponents as McKeel’s pitching has gotten deeper.
Howell followed up two stellar outings by his teammates this week with his best outing of the year. The junior right-hander allowed one unearned run on three hits in six innings in McKeel’s 7-1 victory over Tallahassee Leon on Wednesday night in the championship game of the Dan Giannini Baseball Classic at Santa Fe Catholic.
“This tournament means a lot,” Howell said. “Last year, we got to the championship game and lost. This year, we wanted to come back and win it.”
High school baseball: McKeel set to play Leon for Giannini title on Wednesday night
Howell’s performance was the third standout effort in the tournament by McKeel. On Monday, Caleb Clanton, who is 3-0 with a 0.31 ERA, pitched a five-inning two-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 13-1 victory over North Port. Austin Peddycouart, who is 3-0 with a 0.81 ERA, followed up by going five shutout innings in relief and allowing just three hits on Tuesday.
Howell, who was 7-1 with a 3.62 ERA last year, came into Wednesday with a 4.67 ERA. But he found his rhythm in what was a pitching duel for most of the game as McKeel (9-1) nursed a 2-1 leading into the bottom of the sixth before breaking open the game. He improved to 1-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.33.
“My curveball was working well, just doing my fastball inside, outside, just mixing it up a bit,” Howell said.
It was far different outing than how he started the season.
“He had an oblique injury. He didn’t start in the preseason or in week one. He started in week 2 and wasn’t sharp,” McKeel coach Ron Nipper said. "He started last Friday and again, he wasn’t sharp. This is the best he’s been, but we saw this last year. This is what he’s capable of being, and so we’re hoping he’s past that little injury. It was just a minor thing."
The staff also includes Braxten Plemons, who is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Plemons went two innings on some hard-hit outs, and Nipper decided to make an early change. Otherwise, he too has been outstanding for the Wildcats, who boast a 0.79 team ERA.
Getting Howell back on track was the most important development.
“It gives us so many options,” Nipper said. “We were just talking about the rest of our schedule. We have no easy games. We have a very tough schedule the rest of the year, and we need four, five, six guys to be able to pitch. And with those four guys who pitched this week, if they can throw like that every night or most nights, then we have a chance against almost anybody.”
That was evident this week as McKeel picked up a tournament title.
“It's good for the spirits, and we have such great, we have such great team chemistry right now,” Nipper said. They cheer through the whole game. Even when, even when it's 0-0 or 1-1, they're up and there's a lot of camaraderie and that just makes it so much more fun when you win a championship as well.”
The other key for the Wildcats going forward is to get production from the bottom of the lineup, which they did on Wednesday.
“Our bottom of the lineup has to contribute,” Nipper said. “They can’t be pop-ups or strikeouts. They have to get on base so that our top three, who are so good, they can drive in the bottom if they get on base. And that’s what happened tonight. We laid down the bunt, got the big pinch-hit (Jorge Cordova), got another hit (by No. 9 batter Brody Lanier). The wheels then came off for them.”
Leadoff batter Joseph Mills and No. 2 batter Bear Testerman then had big hits that broke open the game.
Earlier, shortstop KJ Scobey, McKeel’s top player, drove in the go-ahead run with his single in the bottom of the fifth inning and went 2-for-4 to push his batting average close to .300. He nearly homered as he drilled a pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark that was caught at the wall.
Lakeland rallies, Santa Fe blanks Fort Meade
Earlier in the day, Lakeland rallied with two outs to score four runs in the top of the seventh and defeat Lake Wales, 5-2.
Lakeland was down to its last out after Gage Handley retired the first two batters. AJ Sierra then tripled, but the game appeared to be over when Eli Miller grounded to second. The throw to first base was in the dirt and Sierra tied the score, and the Dreadnaughts added three more runs.
Host Santa Fe Catholic got a stellar effort from Gavin Steadman in a 5-0 win over Fort Meade. Steadman pitched a complete-game three-hitter and struck out 10. He also tripled and drove in two runs. Marvin Montenegro had two hits and scored three runs.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Kaden Howell pitches McKeel past Leon in Giannini Classic baseball final
