PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Parker Stahlman is a tactician on the mound.
One part real estate agent — location, location, location. One part artist — painting the corners like a young Picasso.
The sophomore on the Punxsutawney baseball team isn’t overpowering — his fastball sits in the mid- to upper 70s. But what the left-hander lacks in prototypical velocity for a dominant hurler, he makes up for with knowledge and pitching chops that belies his youth.
(Pictured above, Parker Stahlman/Submitted photo)
“Pretty much all of my pitches have been working so far this year, fastball, changeup, curveball,” Stahlman said. “I keep on getting better throughout every game.”
Stahlman will throw any of his three pitches in any count, which helps him keep opposing hitters even more off balance.
It has resulted in some eye-popping numbers for the sophomore in his first varsity season.
Stahlman is 3-0 with a 0.29 ERA (that’s not a typo). In 24⅓ innings so far this season, he’s given up just one earned run and none since March 27. He is currently on an 18⅓ scoreless-innings streak.
Stahlman also has 38 strikeouts and just four walks. Batters are hitting a feeble .157 against him and his WHIP is a microscopic 0.82.
It has helped a young Punxsutawney team pick up right where it left off a year ago when the Chucks went 20-3, won the District 9 Class 3A championship and marched all the way to the PIAA semifinals before bowing out to undefeated Riverside.
He won’t lie. Stahlman is a bit surprised by the level of his success so far this season.
“I thought I’d pitch well,” he said. “But this? Well, no, probably not.”
Stahlman is most impressed with how the young Chucks are performing.
Punxsutawney is 11-1 with the lone loss coming to defending Class A state champion Clarion.
“Not many of us were part of that team last year,” Stahlman said. “But we have a great program with a great coaching staff and it’s been a great start. We had a bunch of new guys this year and we didn’t really know what to expect. We knew we had talent, but maybe we didn’t think we’d be 11-1 right now. We’re playing well, but we can play better. I think we have a chance to do something special.”
That thought comes from the fact that Stahlman isn’t the only one on the staff pitching like an ace.
Sophomore Nevin Day, who became a pivotal part of the team last year, is off to a stellar start as well this season. He’s also 3-0 with a 0.85 ERA. Junior Coy Martino has also been sharp with a 3-0 record and a 1.45 ERA.
As a team, Punxsy has a 1.68 ERA, which has taken the pressure of an offense that is still trying to find it stride with a .288 team batting average and 89 runs scored in 12 games.
“It’s nice to know there’s two other guys,” Stahlman said. “We have three guys a week who can go out and help us win a game.”
The three pitchers complement each other well.
“We are three very different kinds of pitchers,” Stahlman said. “That helps all of us.
“I want to work on command and consistence,” he added. “That’s the main thing I want to build on. I don’t have a crazy amount of velocity compared to Nevin, but I’d like to build that up a little bit.”
Sometimes all three pitch in a game to give an opponent three vastly divergent looks.
It’s a weapon.
“I just hope to keep going out there and winning games,” Stahlman said. “That’s the main thing I’m thinking about right now. This has just been a completely different experience. It’s been something else so far.”
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