Published: June 13, 2007 10:48 pm            

Robinson will put unbeaten record on line

The Kokomo baseball program has produced a long line of outstanding left-handed pitchers including Tom Underwood, Pat Underwood, Anthony Shumaker and Joe Thatcher.

Bryce Robinson is the latest super southpaw and while he is just a junior, he is in position to secure his place in Red and Blue history.

Kokomo (28-3) will meet Indianapolis Cathedral (28-4) in the Class 4A state championship at 8 p.m. Saturday at Victory Field in Indianapolis and the Wildkats will send their undefeated ace to the mound.

“It’s very exciting,” Robinson said. “I’m a little nervous. I hear they are a great team, but we’re a great team too and we just have to go out there and perform well.”

The Wildkats will take a 15-game winning streak into the state finals. They ran away with the North Central Conference crown during the regular season and have followed with their deepest tournament run in nearly two decades.

“It’s been an unbelievable season,” Robinson said. “We’ve had some great senior leadership throughout the whole year and everyone has just been working hard from day one. The team chemistry is just unbelievable. We’re one win away and we need it really bad.”

Robinson has been at the center of the Kats’ dream season. The 6-foot-1 southpaw owns a 10-0 record, four saves and a 0.83 ERA, and has held opponents to a miserly .188 batting average. He has fanned 129 and walked just 35 in 76 innings of work.

“Bryce understands he has to contribute in other ways too, and I think people forget that he is also a very good center fielder, he leads our team in at-bats and he is one of our top hitters. He is just an all-around athlete who does anything we ask him to do,” Kokomo coach Steve Edwards said.

Robinson is batting .310 and ranks among the Kats’ top three in hits (31), doubles (six), homers (four) and RBI (25).

Of course, he is at his best on the mound where he owns a sparkling 19-0 career record.

Robinson attacks hitters with a nasty array of pitches. He features excellent velocity on his fastball and he complements it with a curveball, a changeup and a developing slider. He has shown the ability to keep hitters off balance by throwing his off-speed pitches at any point in counts.

Robinson credits assistant coach Joe Stanisz for how he calls pitches. Also, he credits his defense in general for its solid play behind him and catcher Evan Skiles in particular for his steady presence behind the plate.

“He is an absolute beast,” Robinson said of his battery mate. “He is a great guy to have back there and a great vocal leader and a team leader. He is just a tremendous guy. I can’t say enough about what he has done.”

Robinson has taken on a heavy workload in the postseason. He has pitched three complete games and appeared in relief in the Kats’ other two games — and he has allowed just two earned runs over the combined 25 innings of work. He has struck out 36 including 14 in a three-hit masterpiece against Zionsville.

Edwards gave Robinson extra days of rest when possible during the regular season in order to keep him fresh for the tournament and the move has paid off.

“Regular season games are great, but when you can go against McCutcheon, 1-0 in eight innings, and Zionsville, 1-0 in seven innings, then come back and do what he did at the semistate — those games stand out because of the stage,” Edwards said.

Robinson came into his own as a sophomore when he posted a 9-0 record. He has taken his game to a higher level this season thanks to sharper control, a confidence in all of his pitches and the ability to win even when he is not at his best.

Robinson will play with the prestigious Indiana Bulls traveling team this summer and he has been invited to try out for the Area Code Games, which is a national showcase. He is already receiving major college interest and professional scouts are paying attention too.

“He is way ahead of schedule right now,” Edwards said. “The one thing the scouts and the college coaches like about him is his maturity and composure on the mound. He doesn’t let things bother him and he has that bulldog mentality. And he knows how to pitch now.”

Robinson is a fierce competitor. Baseball is his passion, but he is also a two-year starter at quarterback for the Wildkat football team and he is considering going out for the basketball team in his senior season.

And he ties it all together with a team-first attitude. He takes pride in representing Kokomo and he wants nothing more than to send his senior teammates out on a high note Saturday night.

“When I met Bryce when he was a freshman, I knew right away he was going to be a personality that was going to be good for the team. He is just really a laid-back guy. He has the talent, but the best thing about him is that he just wants to be one of the guys,” Edwards said.

“One thing I really like about him is how hard he works. He is a great kid, he is doing well in the classroom and he is just a guy everyone wants to be around. It’s the whole package you want in a kid.”

        

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