JF sophomores deliver their pitch

FOREST — Senior catcher Josh Huffman had his doubts at the start of the season regarding Jefferson Forest’s fledgling pitching staff.
Traditionally deep on the mound, the Cavaliers graduated their three aces — Brian Goddard, Matt Hawkins and Jared Millner — from last season’s team that swept the Seminole District regular-season and tournament championships.
Their replacements included three sophomores — Hunter Gordon and southpaws Trevor Johnston and Erik Heiligenstadt — still wet behind the ears with Gordon the only one with varsity experience, at shortstop.
“Would they have the mental toughness to get some of the best hitters in the district out?” Huffman asked himself, and them, back then.
The answer has been a resounding, and somewhat surprising, “Yes.”
“We lost three senior pitchers and they were pretty much the only people that threw last year,” Huffman said. “It was a big hole for us and they’ve come in and filled it very well. They’re all stepping up big in crucial situations when we need a big out, on two-strike pitches. With any of them on the mound, I feel comfortable and confident we’re going to get somebody out.”
Forest (14-4, 8-3 Seminole) can clinch a district regular-season title defense outright with a win tonight at home against Amherst and its young pitching trio is largely responsible.
“All three of the sophomores have really been helping us,” JF coach Ryan Gilleland said. “All three of them have sort of settled into their roles. They’ve adjusted to the speed of the varsity game. Most of our position guys are seniors, so it’s an interesting mix.”
Gilleland, a long-time assistant under Jim Thacker in his first season as interim head coach, points to Huffman and first-year pitching coach Matt Gouker for the sophomores’ development and maturation on the mound.
Gouker was the all-time leader in wins at Lynchburg College before graduating in 2005.
“He’s worked with them on a daily basis, more so than me,” said Gilleland, who played at Virginia before graduating with a degree in sports management in 1998. “He deserves a lot of the credit.”
Huffman, who has called the majority of the Cavaliers’ pitches this season from behind the plate, gets his share of it as well.
“I’m very confident in Huffman’s ability (to call the game),” Gilleland said. “I’ve probably called five pitches all year. He’s a great leader.”
Huffman knows his pitchers like the back of his catcher’s mitt and knows when to ask each one for a certain pitch, depending on the hitter.
“Hunter’s more of the flamethrower of the three and the two lefties, Erik and Trevor, they’re more finesse,” Huffman said. “They get guys out using more of their off-speed. They throw a lot of change-ups and curveballs to try to get guys off balance because their fastballs aren’t as overpowering as Hunter’s.”
He said Gordon has a regular curve ball as well as a fast curve.
“At first, it looks more like a fastball coming in and then it’ll just drop off the table,” Huffman said. “That’s usually what his out pitch is.”
“I call it the slider,” said Gordon, who is 3-1 with 37 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched. “I try to keep the ball down.”
Gilleland can call on Johnston and Heiligenstadt to give opposing batters a different look.
“We’ve got three lefties on the staff,” Gouker said. “That’s always helpful when you need a different angle on the ball.”
“Some teams don’t even have a left-handed pitcher,” added Johnston, who has gone 4-2 with a team-high 48 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. “We have three.”
The pitchers give most of the props to their defense.
“It definitely helps having nine seniors behind you,” said Heiligenstadt, from New Hampshire, who is 4-0 with 38 strikeouts and only four walks in 21 1/3 innings. “Even if you don’t strike everybody out, you know you can still get outs.”