TrAce Hartman: Watkins Memorial’s trump card in perfect Licking County League run
PATASKALA — Donald Schone again had a plethora of options in a deep Watkins Memorial pitching staff, but Trace Hartman ensured Schone never had a difficult choice.
Hartman was the unquestioned ace for the Warriors, and the senior right-hander pitched them to another championship. He led Watkins on a perfect run through the Licking County League as the Warriors won a third consecutive Buckeye Division title and were within two outs of a berth in a Division I district final.
“After junior season and entering my senior year, I knew I would be given opportunities to pitch in big games, so I wanted to be ready,” Hartman said. “I wanted to be the guy that the coaches relied on. I worked my butt off all summer, all fall, all winter to be ready for the spring, and it paid off.”
Hartman finished 5-1 with 0.89 ERA. He struck out 64 against just 12 walks in 47 innings.
Hartman is The Advocate Baseball Pitcher of the Year.
“He can command at least two if not three pitches almost every outing, which is good, keeping people off-balance,” Schone said. “Trace is a special kid. We have always been very fortunate to have kids step up. When we lose a really good pitcher, we have always had someone fill that role. They know when preparing for the season where we want to get to.”
Hartman quickly made an impact on the pitching staff as a junior, winning a 1-0 game during Watkins’ annual spring trip to Tennessee. He fared well in several important games throughout that 2022 season, but he did not take moving up in the rotation for granted after heavy graduation losses.
Hartman’s offseason improvement, however, came from an unlikely source. He joined the swim team for the first time in the winter, and the full-body workout allowed him to stay strong deep into games, including seven three-hit innings in an eight-inning victory against Olentangy in a second-round game.
“I really hit the weight room hard, and I joined the swim team, which got my shoulder strong. Hitting the weights three or four days a week on top of it made me an all-around better athlete,” said Hartman, who will pitch collegiately at Charleston. “(Swim) helped me out so much, and I really enjoyed the people I got to spend the time with. It’s one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Watkins entered the season with just four returning varsity contributors, but the Warriors were not going to easily give up their place at the top of the LCL. Hartman, also one of Watkins’ top hitters at .342, homered and struck out nine in a five-inning one-hitter during an early-season 10-0 victory against Licking Valley.
“Once we came back from our Tennessee trip, we were 1-3, and we came home and had Licking Valley,” Hartman said. “We faced some adversity with the weather getting (suspended) in the third inning. It really sent a statement to the league and gained my confidence pitching and hitting and gained the entire team’s confidence, learning we could compete and we just had a rough spot. That was a big turning point.”
Hartman again delivered the next time the two Buckeye Division contenders battled. He struck out eight in a three-hit shutout, a 1-0 victory.
It was what Schone came to expect. Helped by two key defensive plays, Hartman overcame a shaky start to pitch the Warriors to a 2-0 seventh-inning lead against second-seeded Bishop Watterson in a district semifinal before the Eagles rallied on a three-run double, a line drive that nearly was snagged for a game-ending double play.
“(Hartman) does get irritated when a guy gets a hit, but he’s learned to control that and get re-focused,” Schone said. “He knows and believes that he can compete with pretty much anybody out on the field. He is very confident in his performance.”
Schone, the Warriors’ veteran leader, was emotional following the loss to Watterson, seeing his unheralded team gain respect in central Ohio. The Warriors were hoping to reach their first district final since 2015, but they instead were stopped a round short for the fourth consecutive postseason.
Seeing Schone’s passion is what drove Hartman and his teammates. The Warriors did not want to let him or each other down.
“(Schone) always puts us in great situations to win,” Hartman said. “It’s always our mentality every year that we can compete with everybody. We may not get the credit we deserve, but we know deep down we can compete with anybody that’s on the field against us. Going into the Watterson game, not many people thought we had a chance, but we were right there every inning, every pitch.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Trace Hartman is The Advocate Baseball Pitcher of the Year.
