Where Do The Walks Come From?

Twenty walks = two wins?

Yes, and we’re not talking about the team that received the walks, either.

The Pe Ell baseball team issued 20 — count ‘em on all fingers, both thumbs and your feet — walks in its first two ballgames this past week. The Trojans played Ocosta Tuesday and Wednesday, and despite the fact that Pe Ell hurlers took a stroll on the wild side, the Trojans won both games.

Pe Ell coach John Neal said some of his guys were trying to be too fine with their pitches, straining to hit the corners with their fastballs.

“I don’t know if they were afraid to challenge the hitters, or trying to make perfect pitches,” Neal said. “Instead, they needed to pitch to contact.”

Neal added that the umpires were not squeezing either team, and, as for the weather, Pe Ell and Ocosta enjoyed spots of sunshine. The Trojan wins were simply of the not-so-pretty variety.

Another reason why the Trojan pitchers were off their mark could be this: Pe Ell features a rotation full of freshman and sophomore arms, save for one.

So, there are several arguments that could be made. The Trojan hurlers were:

A) Trying to be too fine
B) Afraid to challenge hitters
C) Had major butterflies because of a lack of varsity experience
D) Or, they just haven’t had enough time practicing in the pen

Maybe the 20 walks had to do with a mixture of any of those three factors. The whole aspect of walks in prep baseball does raise an interesting point, though. What is the No.1 reason why these kids walk so many hitters?

You be the judge. Let me hear your thoughts in either the ‘comments’ section of this post or email me at cbreakey@chronline.com.