Trifecta of Aces: Verot's Knaak, Naples' King, Canterbury's Schrowe all dealing on mound
Watching from their respective dugouts, Bishop Verot’s Casey Scott, Canterbury’s Frank Turco, and Naples’ Jimmy Nocera often get to witness greatness.
The three coaches enjoy the luxury of having an elite arm in their rotations.
Aidan Knaak (Verot), Austin Schrowe (Canterbury), and Johnny King (Naples) continue trying to one-up each other on a weekly basis against some of the toughest competition in the state.
In each of their last two starts heading into this week, Knaak, Schrowe, and King have combined to throw 33 2/3 innings, allowing just seven hits and two unearned runs with six walks and 67 strikeouts.
"As a coach, what more can you ask for when people aren't going to shy away from things?" Scott said.
Countless K's for Knaak
There was a time earlier this year when Knaak put together a strong performance – and it came on perhaps the biggest stage.
The Clemson signee had his best outing at the National High School Invitational, which is hosted by USA Baseball in Cary, North Carolina. He threw a complete game against a nationally ranked Aquinas team from San Bernadino, allowing just four hits, one earned run, and a walk with nine strikeouts that day.
“It was a great experience, of course,” Knaak said. “Last year I was there and did all right, but not as good as this year. I made a couple of adjustments of getting ahead early and not really caring who’s on the other side. It was just me being me and attacking every guy and not worrying about any names on the other team. I was just going right at every guy.”
That outing likely solidified that he’ll be drafted come July and will have to decide on his future later this year. The Bishop Verot senior has the strongest resumé of any starting pitcher this season locally, having pitched against Stoneman Douglas (No. 2 in Florida, No. 2 in nation), Aquinas (No. 9 in California, No. 15 in nation), and Cypress (No. 18 in California). He is 8-2 this season with a 1.23 ERA, with a .789 WHIP over 57 innings pitched.
Knaak had his worst outing of the year against Stoneman Douglas, allowing 11 hits and four earned runs over five innings, striking out four that game. After that outing, Knaak responded with a pair of complete games against Manatee and Bonita Springs, allowing a combined four hits and one walk with 27 strikeouts. He leads Southwest Florida with five complete games.
“I think it’s just a product of his work ethic,” Scott said. “Some guys would be upset after the Stoneman game there, coming off a game against Aquinas where he was on the main stage in front of everybody. He just got back to work. He didn’t let it get too low, he came right back out. He’s been our guy, we’ve leaned on him, and he’s built himself into this pitcher to where we know we can turn to him when it’s his turn to go and we feel comfortable."
With one more start remaining in the regular season before districts commence, Knaak is second statewide with 91 strikeouts. Fort Myers alum Zach Root led the area with 96 strikeouts a season ago. In the MaxPreps era, Knaak could finish as high as third in Lee County for strikeouts in a single season. Ida Baker alum Sean Brady is third with 126 in 2013, while ECS product Ben Specht is fourth with 111 in 2017. Hudson Boyd is No. 1 and No. 2 on the list, with 153 strikeouts in 2009 with South Fort Myers, followed by 131 strikeouts with Verot in 2011.
“He’s not afraid,” Scott added. “He’s gonna go right at you. I think that’s one of the things that anybody who’s out there evaluating him now, is seeing that he’s a strike thrower. When we were at Stoneman, Fitz (coach Todd Fitz-Gerald) is at the third-base box right by our dugout, and their guy would take a first-pitch strike. He’s kept telling them, ‘Strike thrower, strike thrower’.
“A lot of guys want to nibble, go for the swings and misses, but AK is gonna throw it at you. It’s a maturity thing. It’s being even keeled, being tough.”
King of the Hill
Walking off the mound on April 11 against a team Knaak struggled against the prior week, King knew that his performance was going to be an outing to remember.
The Miami commit got an early taste of playing baseball on the east coast, taking on Stoneman Douglas. The left-hander went 4 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits with one unearned run and two walks. Ten of his 13 outs came via strikeout (76.9%), something that could be key moving forward for the Golden Eagles if they want to return to the Final Four for a second straight year.
“That was a great experience, with me and the Christian Rodriguez kid going at it,” King said. “I was as relaxed as I can be. I had the team behind me, making plays. I fell behind in counts but made it work. We didn’t swing the sticks well, but Stoneman was a great game for sure.
Opposite of Knaak, King’s innings have been down intentionally for the stretch run that Naples is likely to make. King has thrown 27 innings this year, with a total of 425 pitches (15.7 per inning). He’s struck out 52 across that span, posting a K/7 ratio of 13.48. King is 3-2 this season with a 1.56 ERA and a WHIP of .667.
Nocera has had a chance to watch King mature on the mound and at the plate this year, as he’s come through in big moments in both situations. King leads the team with a .458 batting average and 33 hits. In the first week of April, King was named as the Southwest Florida Midseason Baseball Player of the Year by The News-Press and the Naples Daily News.
“He’s been doing it all year,” Nocera said after Friday’s win over Gulf Coast. “The kid is just a baseball player. He’s our best pitcher, and he’s our hottest hitter. He’s a gamer, for sure.”
King made it a goal to bulk up after his sophomore year, as he was sitting at 150 pounds for much of the season. King now weighs in at 185 pounds, as he built more muscle in the offseason thanks to training and workouts.
“Last year, I was down to 150 pounds, and got in the gym and got a lot bigger,” King said. “It built confidence, that and committing to a school over the sophomore summer. That set a tone for me to humble myself and be a better person.”
Schrowe closing strong
Another experienced left-hander has had his share of performances, Schrowe has found his stride and has been pitching his best over his final season with Canterbury.
Schrowe has been virtually untouchable, posting a 7-1 record with a 0.51 ERA. Schrowe has struck out 81 batters in 41 1/3 innings pitched and attributes an ability to get ahead of hitters and into more favorable counts.
“Everything’s been based on how bad I’ve been wanting it this year,” Schrowe said. “There’s never been more drive in me, because this is my senior year. This is my last hoorah, and I want to go out with as good of a story as you can get. That’s been what’s driving me to do my best.”
Over his last 12 1/3 innings against IMG Academy Gray (41st in Florida) and Riverdale (6th in SWFL), Schrowe has been on his A-game. He’s allowed just one hit, one unearned run, four walks, with 26 strikeouts against the Ascenders and Raiders. Schrowe took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Riverdale before being pulled due to his pitch count.
Those two starts are just a microcosm of what Turco has seen out of his No. 1 arm all season, giving the Cougars a real shot at getting out of a competitive region with multiple legitimate state title contenders.
Couple that in with his .464 batting average and 32 hits this year, and Schrowe is arguably the most dangerous two-way player in the area.
“I love what he’s doing,” Turco said. “He’s really commanding the strike zone a lot more. He’s done a little bit of that in the past, but he’s really doing it this year. He’s throwing his off-speed well, mixing up pitches. Last year, he’d get into deep counts a lot because of erratic misses.
“But this year, his misses are competitive pitches and I’m so proud of him for that. He’s mixing his speeds, throwing his breaking ball for strikes, and staying within himself.”
Schrowe also has another familiar face in the dugout this season helping out − his brother CJ. Now the pitching coach for the Cougars, Schrowe was a News-Press Baseball Player of the Year finalist in 2017 after compiling an 11-1 record with a 0.36 ERA with Ida Baker.
The two often leave strategy regarding pitching out of conversations at home, talking mostly about it during bullpen sessions and practices.
“This year, it’s been completely different,” Schrowe said. “My brother has known me for all 18 years of my life, and he knows how I like to pitch. When he wants something to be thrown, he gives me the go-ahead to shake it off. Coming into a start, he just knows my routine. He puts me on track every time.
“He makes sure that I get everything that I usually do, I get it done. Every time I step on the mound, he knows exactly what needs to happen.”
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Verot's Knaak, Naples' King, Canterbury's Schrowe all dealing on mound
