2008-09 MAXPREPS TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR
Ranking: No. 5
What: Mitchell High (New Port Richey, Fla.) senior left-hand pitcher Patrick Schuster broke a state record with four consecutive no-hitters, lifting his team deep into the District playoffs.
When: April 3-20
Where: Tampa region
How: Utlizing a 90 mph fastball with a wicked curve and slider, he pitched 26 hitless innings with a remarkable 60 strikes – 17 in two games – and just seven walks during the four games.
Why significant?: He broke the state mark of three consecutive no-hitters set by Ben Webb (1985) and Sam Miltello (1987), and was two off the seemingly untouchable mark of six straight set by Chris Taranto (1961) and Tom Engle (1989).
MaxPreps Stories of the Year: A panel of six MaxPreps national writers established the top 10 stories of the year, and voted them in order in terms of national interest, importance and possible future significance.
Monday: No. 4 – A small school in Warden, Mont., was burned to the ground just before classes were about to open last summer, but the football team never wavered while taking another state crown.
EVERYTHING WAS BIG concerning Patrick Schuster’s 17 days of bliss back in April.
His strikeout totals were over the top – 60 in four games, including twice recording 17.
The crowds flocked increasingly with every pitch, every outing – 10 times what Mitchell High School near Tampa Fla., normally drew - as he broke a state record with four consecutive no-hitters and approached the national mark of six.
Patrick Schuster
Courtesy of Schuster family
And of course with the crowds and records and no-nos, the media was off the charts by high school standards. Features ran in the New York Times, the USA Today and the Associated Press and folks overseas even took notice.
To top it off his was tagged “ESPN Boy” by opponents trying to rattle him.
But hidden away from the television lights, inked behind the heel of his cleats was the blood and guts of this national story.
There in-lied the initials (STS) of his late brother Shane Schuster, who died of bone cancer his senior year of high school in 2002 when his little brother was 11.
Schuster said at that age he couldn’t emotionally digest the depths of his brother’s passing. The family, which includes parents Sharon and Roger and an older sister, rallied largely around Schuster’s baseball.
The hard-throwing left-hand pitcher wore his brother’s Little League All-Star T-shirt under his own during every game. Because Schuster grew to 6-foot-2 – he weighs 167 pounds – and wore the shirt so often it became torn and frayed. It was until the summer before Schuster’s senior year did he finally stop wearing it.
“After Shane’s death, I think baseball was part of the healing process,” Sharon told New York Times reporter Karen Crouse. “After that, we said we’d never miss another game.”
They certainly couldn’t miss the no-hitters, the first of his high school career.
It started on April 3 at Land O’Lakes with a 2-1 victory. Schuster struck out 17 and walked three.
Five days later, Schuster fired a five-inning 10-0 no-hitter at cross-town rival River Ridge with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
In a home game against Cleanwater Central Catholic on April 13, he tied the state record with his third straight no-no, striking out 16 with no walks in a 2-0 victory.
Then with the national media clamoring, he broke the state mark with his fourth straight no-hitter in a 5-0 win over Pasco (Dade City). He struck out 17 and walked one.
“I never thought this would happen,” Schuster told CBS television affiliate WTSP. “I was trying so hard not to think about it. … I’m having so much fun with it now.”
Schuster said he had only one request late in the game against Pasco.
{VIDEO_21b54510-b667-4493-b3b2-d10692d0b7d7,floatRightWithBar}“I told my outfielders the last two innings, ‘Please just come in. I don’t want to give up a bloop hit.’ That would be the worst way to end it.
“I’m still on cloud nine right now.”
Eight days he fell back to earth with a season-ending 9-4 loss, his first of the season, to Gaither (Tampa) in the District 6A-7 semifinals.
Schuster finished 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA. He struck out 115 in 60 innings with 29 walks and 11 hit batsman. He allowed only 12 hits all season and opponents hit a minuscule 064 against him.
Showing a good bat as well, Schuster hit .403 with 29 hits, 21 RBI and four extra-base hits.
His celebrity status, record-breaking season and big stats was thought to be good enough to vault him among the top 10 rounds of the June amateur baseball draft.
Instead he was picked 396th overall in the 13th round the Diamondbacks. That means he’ll likely keep his commitment to the University of Florida.
According to one report, however, the Diamondbacks and the Schuster family are closing in on a contract.
“Patrick was pretty firm on what it would take to get him to not go to Florida, and they all knew that, this was no surprise,” Sharon told the palmbeachpost.com. “Patrick wanted what he wanted to give up being a Gator, and if people weren’t willing to step up and give him what he wanted, he’s just not going to back down.”
Arizona, like all teams, has until Aug. 15 to sign players or lose their draft rights.
No matter what Schuster decides, he’ll always have that remarkable four-start stretch.
“When it started out, of course I didn’t focus on it,” he said about the no-hitters. “I was totally thinking about it from the team aspect, getting us another win, extending our season. But those last couple games I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was at least thinking about it. It’s hard not to.”
Not as hard, evidently, as hitting against him.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
