QBS don’t pass up chance to play baseball
17 of 59 throwers from Austin area are also pitchers.
While looking at the stat leaders in Tuesday’s newspaper, I noticed that McCallum senior Griffin Stuesser was among the area leaders in wins and ERA. Stuesser was the Knights’ quarterback this fall, so you’d figure that McCallum’s baseball team would also use his right arm for good.
But that got me thinking about quarterbacks who pitch.
So I looked up the leading passers for the 59 Austin-area schools that participated in 11-man football this fall. And of those 59 quarterbacks, 17 have been playing baseball this spring.
Lake Travis’ Baker Mayfield, Marble Falls’ Mike Richardson, East View’s Jonathan Jones, St. Michael’s Reed Carlton, Eastside Memorial’s Mathew Aguilera and Smithville’s Denton Cooper are primarily infielders, so they weren’t factored into this equation. Hutto’s Chase Adams, Bowie’s Austin Eschenburg and St. Stephen’s Taylor Brown all play in center field and Cedar Ridge’s Mike McCann is primarily a catcher.
I couldn’t find positions or stats for two additional quarterbacks. But after all of those subtractions, we came up with a pretty good rotation:
■ Stony Point junior Aidan Barrera: 4-0, 1.27 ERA, 24 strikeouts (22 innings)
■ Anderson sophomore Kirby Hill: 1-2, 2.71 ERA, 18 strikeouts (20 ⅔ innings)
■ Dripping Springs senior Kyle Johnson: 31, 2.31 ERA, 25 strikeouts (30 ⅓ innings)
■ Thorndale junior Riley Schaefer: 2-4, 2.21 ERA, 49 strikeouts (31 ⅔ innings)
■ McCallum senior Griffin Stuesser: 4-0, 0.21 ERA, 27 strikeouts (34 innings)
Odds and ends: Four Austin-area alums opened the Major League Baseball season on an active roster — Colorado pitcher Matt Belisle (McCallum), San Diego pitcher Huston Street (Westlake), Miami outfielder Justin Ruggiano (Anderson) and Tampa Bay infielder Kelly Johnson (Westwood). ... Lanier announced this week that senior Andrey Diaz would sign with Lindenwood University’s wrestling program on
Prepped and Ready Stony Point’s Aidan Barrera and McCallum’s Griffin Stuesser are 4-0 so far this season. Dripping Springs’ Kyle Johnson is 3-1.
Wednesday. Diaz won the 102-pound championship at the UIL’s Class 4A meet in February.
Under the radar: Each week, we’ll introduce you to a player who is making big plays despite not having a big name. This week, we’re taking a look at Taylor senior Fred Kerley.
At last week’s Texas Relays, Kerley finished third in the high school triple jump. A defensive back in football and an alldistrict honoree in basketball, Kerley will participate in three individual events and two relay races at the upcoming District 18-3A meet in College Station.
If Kerley’s last name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s a cousin of Jeremy Kerley, the former Hutto and TCU star who is now a wide receiver for the New York Jets. Fred Kerley is also leading Taylor’s track program three years after the graduation of five-time state medalist Mark Jackson. No pressure, right? “I don’t notice it,” Fred Kerley said, “I just compete.”
Where are they now?: Every week, we spotlight the collegiate athletic accomplishments of a few of our area alums. If you know of somebody who should be featured, email danieldavis@statesman. com:
■ UTEP junior Mark Jackson (Taylor, 2010) placed fifth in the Section A triple jump competition at the Texas Relays.
■ University of Arkansas-Monticello sophomore Katie Slaughter (Anderson, 2011) is 10-5 this spring with a 2.45 ERA. Slaughter has struck out 66 batters.