Pioneers brace

for Alexander Central
By Steve Behr

Should the weather hold this week, Watauga’s baseball team will, once again, feel what it’s like to play four games in six days.

The Pioneers begin a busy week Monday night with a key showdown with Northwestern 4-A Conference arch rival Alexander Central in Taylorsville that was rained out Friday. The next day, the Pioneers play another make-up game Tuesday at Mount Tabor.

They’ll take Wednesday and Thursday off before playing another huge NWC matchup, this time a rematch at South Caldwell. The week ends Saturday with a game against T.C. Roberson.

It’s enough to stretch the Watauga pitching staff to its limits. Cal Hardee gets the nod Monday night, while Will Littlejohn will pitch Tuesday.

Jon Sharpe takes the mound Friday against South Caldwell and Austin Story is the likely starter against T.C. Roberson.

Littlejohn and Story both pitched in non-confernece games against West Wilkes two weeks ago. Littlejohn nearly pitched a complete game in an 8-2 victory over the Blackhawks.

Watauga coach Pete Hardee knows that winning the non-conference games, especially against good teams like Mount Tabor and T.C. Roberson, are a bonus prize to winning NWC games. However, he also feels that are an important glance into any possible playoff competition the Pioneers could face in April.

“The non-conference games are important because we’ll face teams that are similar to what we’ll see in the playoffs, if we’re fortunate enough to get there,” Hardee sid. “These are good tests for us. Sometimes when you make it far into the playoffs, it comes down to your third pitcher, so these are big starts for Will Littlejohn as he prepares for the playoffs and to help us in relief in conference games.”

Cal Hardee pitched the distance in his last game, a 9-4 victory over A.C. Reynolds The Pioneers will move Jake Wallace to Hardee’s shortstop position now that Wallace has almost completely recovered from an ankle injury.

“It allows us to keep Chris Shelton at second base,” Pete Hardee sid. “We feel that Jake’s close to 100 percent, so he can help us out a bit.”

Wallace, who has suffered through an injury-riddle senior year in football, basketball and baseball, was originally scheduled to be the Pioneers’ relief pitcher in conference games and a starter in the non- conference games.

However, he has not pitched lately and Hardee wants to gradually get him back into the rotation once Wallace’s ankle has healed.

“We want to ease him into it,” Hardee said. “We want him to concentrate on his defense and then we’ll get him to throw some bullpens as long as it doesn’t bother his ankle.”

Sharpe has not pitched since he tossed a one-hitter at East Burke in a 1-0 victory over the Cavaliers in nine innings. Sharpe also pitched against South Caldwell in the Pioneers’ 12-6 victory over the defending NWC champs at Watauga’s field earlier this season.