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Shane Bazzell's uncanny composure has him ranked second in the Northwest League with a 1.86 ERA. Bazzell bewilders NWL foes By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN For a 20-year-old with no college experience, Shane Bazzell is a young pitcher ahead of his time, according to Southern Oregon Timberjacks manager Greg Sparks. Bazzell, a hard-throwing former Mississippi prep pitching legend for New Hope High of Columbus, Miss., has dazzled Northwest League hitters with his 90 mph fastball, a slider that sweeps in and out of the strike zone against right-handed hitters and a nasty split-finger fastball that appears to drop off a table in front of home plate after looking like a straight fastball.The results: a 3-1 record for the Timberjacks, a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings and a 2-to-1 ratio of strikeouts (18) to walks (9). Bazzell's ERA ranks him second in the NWL. "He has a real knack for reading hitters and knowing what to throw them," says Sparks. "He seems to be able to sense what they're looking for and go against that with his pitches. It helps that he's a former good hitter in high school. He can feel what the hitters are feeling."He's beyond his years as a young pitcher goes," says Sparks. "Most of these other guys (Timberjacks pitchers) have major college experience, and he doesn't. But you would never know it." Bazzell's best outing was an eight-inning shutout of the Eugene Emeralds two weeks ago. He was named Northwest League pitcher of the week for that performance. He pitches again Sunday in the final game of the current home series against Yakima. That game begins at 6 p.m. All five of the pitches Bazzell throws (fastball, curveball, slider, change-up and split-finger fastball) are delivered with purpose, Bazzell says. "I stick with the fastball and slider early, and then I throw my curveball, change-up and splitty when the hitters are set up for the fastball and slider," says Bazzell. "It's worked pretty well so far. "The hitters are good in this league. You have to mix up your pitches and keep them low or you'll get hit hard." Bazzell, who was a pitcher on three state championship teams at New Hope High (1996, '97 and '98) had a school-record 34-1 career mark. In the 1998 state championship game, he pitched a three-hitter and struck out 20 hitters in a 7-2 New Hope win. He was also the winning pitcher in the 1996 state championship game. "He was taught good fundamentals when he was young," says Sparks, "That shows." Bazzell's father, Allen Bazzell, a former Mississippi all-state catcher, was the primary influence in Shane's early development as a pitcher. "He knows a lot about pitching and I threw to him all the time," says the younger Bazzell. "He's the main reason I learned how to think out there at an early age and develop my pitches." Bazzell, one of two Northwest League pitchers with three wins entering Friday night, says he has a lot to learn despite his impressive start at the Class A short-season level. "I need to have better command of my fastball," he says. "And I need to learn to keep all my pitches lower." Rumors persist around the Timberjacks that Bazzell is one or two impressive starts from being called up from the Timberjacks to Visalia or Modesto of the Oakland Athletics' farm system. "We're worried about losing him," says Dan Kilgrass, general manager of the Timberjacks. "He's pitched so well, he probably deserves it (being called up), but we'd like him to stay here. He's our star right now." "Selfishly, I'd like to keep him here to pitch for me," says Sparks. "But we're here to try to help players move up. If that chance comes, I'll be happy for him, but we'll miss him." Bazzell says he'll just keep firing and let Oakland make those kind of decisions. "I can't control that stuff," says Bazzell. "I'd like to move up to the next level because it puts me one step closer (to the major leagues). "But I like pitching here," says Bazzell. "It's a real comfortable atmosphere to pitch in for me." |
