Until the end of May, Springville will retain the title of defending state champ. If the Red Devils can get to a one-game playoff, odds are they may retain that title for another year.
Mark Pawelek, as a sophomore, pitched a one-hit victory in last year's semifinals of the state baseball tournament. It appears he is picking up where he left off. Last season Pawelek was 9-0 with a 1.07 ERA and 123 strikeouts. In his first game this year he struck out 19 batters.
"Mark was great for us last year. To give him credit, he has not been satisfied," said Springville coach Willy Child. "He worked hard all winter lifting and throwing, and he looks even stronger and may throw just a little harder now." If that is the case, watch out.
"All his pitches move, and he throws four great pitches — a fastball, split-finger, curve and changeup. If one pitch isn't really on that day, he can just switch to the others," added Child. "When he's throwing strikes, he's almost unhittable." With a pitcher like that in the rotation, Springville is still one of the teams to beat.
Spanish Fork just edged Springville in preseason polls as the favorite to win Region 6. The Dons have great depth in their pitching staff going five or six deep. Riley Gordon had a 1.55 ERA last season but was not overpowering. "He throws from three or four different arm angles, and changes speed on all his pitches. He was the most effective pitcher we had last year," said Spanish Fork coach Jim "Shoe" Nelson.
The Dons also have outfielder Nick Welsh and Jordan Daley. Nelson is so high on Daley that he calls him "the best shortstop/infielder I've coached in 24 years."
Of all the ranked teams in the preseason, Mountain Crest may have the most questions. The Mustangs do not return any starting pitching. It may be well into the season, and after the staff has picked up some experience, before it is known how good the team can be. Kyle Hamilton and Luke Lofthouse will key the offense. Bonneville is expected to compete for the Region 4 crown with the Mustangs.
The title in Region 5 is anyone's to take. West is the coaches' pick, but according to West High skipper Marce Wilson, he isn't sure. "(It is) a very evenly matched region. Any team could surprise at anytime," Wilson said. It would not be a great shock to see Cyprus, Bountiful, Murray or Highland in first at the end of the season.
Timpanogos and Lone Peak finished one-two in the preseason balloting, but Timpanogos coach Kim Nelson was not too impressed. "We haven't done anything to earn it yet. I guess we should feel good people think of us that way, but we need to go out and earn that," Nelson said.
The Timberwolves will rely heavily on a player who did not even play baseball last season. Mac Nelson was the team MVP as a sophomore, but a shoulder injury prevented him from playing all last year. The team hopes Nelson can return to his earlier form. Ryder Olsen, Tyson Gonzales, Jace Bramwell and Tyson Ford all expect to have big performances. "On paper it could be as good a team as I have ever coached," finished Nelson.
Lone Peak will rely on its infield that coach Nelson thinks is the reason the Knights are ranked No. 2. "I thought last year they had the best defensive infield in the region, and all of them are back," said Nelson. If Braden Walker, Matt Berrant and company live up to expectations, the Region 7 title will be a battle.
Preseason Rankings
1. Timpanogos
2. Lone Peak
3. Spanish Fork
4. Mountain Crest
5. Springville
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com