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Show Two Stallions In The Pitching Stable Dave Wigham Clipper Sports Most high school baseball coaches would give their right arm for an undefeated pitcher. Bountiful Coach Phil Olsen didn't have to give up anything and the guy has two stallions in his pitching stable. ' Senior Phillip Schumtz is 6-0 on the year, plus he has one save to his credit, while 1 junior Steve Luddington is at 4-0 with three. saves. ! i,: Not only do these two give the Braves a , great one-two punch, they also give their opponents a different look each time out. Phillip is a fireball-type pitcher who throws righthanded. Steve features a great lefthanded lefth-anded slow curve. "The slider is probably my best pitch," admitted Phil. "My fastball is a good pitch and the sinker is a fair pitch. I throw the sinker to get the hitters to chase a bad pitch but the other two pitches I throw for strikes." Steve also has views on his pitches. "My curve is definitely my best pitch. It does all kinds of things when I throw it and usually it doesn't do the same thing twice. My fast ball is pretty good, but I honestly feel more comfortable throwing the curve. My fastball seems quicker to most hitters because thev're looking for the slow curve and when the bases are loaded with no one out and their best hitter up. I live for that pressure. pres-sure. I enjoy starting though, because I get more innings this way." The only place you'll see the two play is on the mound, but it wasn't always that way. Coming up through the little league program, Phil used to play the outfield and third base along with pitching, while Steve was a first baseman and outfielder. The two are friends with a friendly rivalry. But they still pull for each other . ? ; V "We're both competitiors but it's not like we sit there and hope the other team gets hits and scores," joked Steve. "It's not the type of rivalry to do better. We hope we both do well. It's not a bickering bicker-ing thing at all," he added. The big question at this time of the season sea-son is whether the Braves can repeat as state champions0 "We can't win it with just two pitchers," noted Phil. "Last year we lucked out because of the rain outs and other things," he added. "We have other pitchers like Eric Johnson, John-son, Scott Ongley, Graham Gallgar and Steve Jacobsen. A couple of them will have to come through for us in the state tournament tour-nament for us to win. I feel they are all capable of it," added Steve. Both of them realize they will get their share of time in the state event. Both also have their views of the finals, should the - TsiJS? is - 'v ' L -if fi ' ' t , - if , , it w ' jf -am I I , Steve Luddington (left) and Phillip Schmutz of Bountiful stand near the number representing the number of losses they have suffered this year. Both pitchers are under 1.00 for their ERA. that's when I can zip a fastball past them," he noted. Both had different answers when asked "what makes them such a good high school pitcher1 1 guess I throw harder than most pitchers." noted Phil. "Plus we have a great team to back us up. If the opponent scores ten runs, we have the type of team that will score 11. We play up to the capacity of the teams we play." Being a fastball pitcher. Phillip has definite defin-ite ideas on how to pitch to certain people in the lineup. "The first five or six hitters I just try to keep the ball low to get them to hit it on the ground, but the hitters near the end of the lineup I try to blow away with my fastball." Steve has an entirely different notion about what has made him successful. "First of all, I'm a lefthander and that makes me unique, in that the hitters don't get to see that many from the left side. Then my curve is a different look to the righthanded hitters. It breaks into them. Plus, we do hme a great defensive team and I'm not afraid to let them hit the ball." The two athletes got to their lofty positions posi-tions in different ways. Phillip has always been a starter for Bountiful and has established estab-lished himself as one of the top hurlers in the state. Steve was the Braves' ace relief pitcher last year who has earned a starting job this season. i "1 don't know why. but I've always been a starter" noted Phil, "1 have thrown a little lit-tle in relief and it doesn't bother me because I seem to throw better under pressure." pres-sure." The tight situations , the more Steve loved pitching in relief. "I love to come in Braves make it. With me being a junior and Phil a senior I'd like to see him start and use me in relief, if needed," offered Steve. Phil just smiled in agreement. The two of them share many things but one of the biggest is they hate to walk anyone. "Walking someone really bugs me," said Phil. "It's no ones fault but your own and the hitter didn't do it for himself. I'll bet three-fourths of the guys I've walked in high school havecored," he added. ad-ded. "I hate to walk hitters as well and I really real-ly work hard at my control," Steve noted. He must be doing something right since he has only given up seven walks the entire season. What about the future for the two hurlers. Well, Phillip is looking to a college career and the colleges are looking at him. "Sure I'd like to throw somewhere next year. I'll just wait and see the offers, then decide." Steve is back for another year with the Braves, and he was just elected student-body student-body president. "After high school I don't have any specific plans. If I get a good offer I'd take a look at it." Right now both are concentrating on the state tournament since the Braves have wrapped up the region crown. Steve has never lost a varsity game at Bountiful and the last time Phillip lost was in the opening game of last years state baseball tournament. tour-nament. Both are big reasons for the Braves' success this season, and last season for that matter, and explains why Bountiful is considered con-sidered a definite contender for another state crown. |