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CLEAR Temp: 61 °F Wind: NNE at 4 mph Tuesday, August 12, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 31, 2003 Mike Allen has emerged as the ace of the Mustangs� staff. The right-hander from Ashland has posted a 9-1 record with an ERA of 2.70. He will start tonight when Medford entertains the Mid-Valley Les Schwab Rockets from Albany in a playoff game. Armed and ready It’s no secret the Medford Mustangs have a potent hitting lineup, one on pace to set season records. But do they have the pitching to make a run at the state title? They think so By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune But do have they have the pitching? So goes the common question when talk turns to the Medford Mustangs’ chances of repeating last summer’s postseason push all the way to the American Legion AAA baseball World Series. The answer, both statistically and according to the Mustangs, is yes. Maybe not in the overpowering fashion of former ace Matt Skundrick, who carried Medford last year, but in the number of quality arms able to throw consistent strikes. Advertisement "We have a good team approach," says Dan Keck, who is in his eighth year as the Mustangs’ pitching coach. "None of our guys takes the ball out on the mound thinking they have to be perfect. "You pitch for your team. You’re pitching for the guys behind you. You’re pitching to win." And with an offense that produced 9.9 runs per game and posted a .409 team batting average during the 54-game regular season, the pitching rarely needs to be dominant. Throw in a defense that boasts a .960 fielding percentage plus the ability to pull off the spectacular, and pitching for Medford must be about as good as it gets. "We put up a lot of runs, so it’s a lot easier to feel comfortable out there," says Mike Allen, a 6-foot-4 right-handed starter. "(Shortstop Evan) McArthur and (second baseman Ryan) Heil have gotta be one of the best double-play combinations in the state, if not the best. ... We’ve got guys who can run like deer (in the outfield) and cover a lot of ground. "It all makes it easier to stay calm and relaxed and helps with your concentration." Allen (9-1) is expected to draw the start at 7 tonight in Game 1 of a best-of-three state-playoff series against the Mid-Valley Les Schwab Rockets. The Mustangs (47-7 and the No. 1 seed out of Area 4) and Albany-based Rockets (26-19, No. 3 from Area 3) play tonight at Miles Field, Friday at West Albany High and Saturday, if necessary, back at Miles. The winner moves on to next week’s eight-team state tournament at North Eugene High’s Swede Johnson Stadium, where the Eugene Pepsi Challengers will be host. From now on, all games are nine innings, unless the 10-run mercy rule shortens matters. Joining Allen in Medford’s postseason starting rotation are left-handers Brady Rhodes (7-1), Chad Hegdahl (7-1) and Brett Timmerman (5-0) — likely in that order. The four have combined for 19 complete games and six shutouts in 38 starts this summer. Their ERAs, based on the seven-inning games Legion predominantly plays during the regular season, are 1.47 for Hegdahl, 2.10 for Timmerman, 2.70 for Allen and 2.80 for Rhodes. Right-handers Travis Glass (3-1, three saves, 1.58 ERA) and Beau Hovland (6-2, 3.16) and lefties Richard Goosmann (5-1, 4.55) and Dustin Butler (5-0, 3.90) are the primary relievers. "We feel pretty good about what we have going right now," says manager Sandee Kensinger, whose staff’s ERA is 2.76 for the season, which jumps to 3.55 for nine innings. "We have plenty of arms." The pitching has been particularly good of late, helping the Mustangs clinch the Area 4 title and roll to 12 straight wins to close the regular season. On July 21, Allen and Rhodes held the Klamath Falls Falcons to three runs and six hits during a doubleheader sweep. And that was at hitter-friendly Kiger Field in Klamath. The July 24 performances of Hegdahl and Timmerman, however, were even more impressive. The duo posted consecutive no-hitters and came one out away from back-to-back perfect games in a sweep of the Grants Pass Nuggets. Hegdahl recorded 15 straight outs during the five-inning opener at Grants Pass’ All Sports Park before Timmerman got 20 in a row in the nightcap. A walk with two outs in the seventh of Game 2 was the Nuggets’ lone baserunner. "I’ve never seen that, period," Keck says. Catcher Rob Folsom, a fourth-year Mustang who is ascending the all-time record ledgers, says the pitching has been better than what many originally expected. "We have a lot of guys that are crafty, hit spots and have good off-speed stuff," says Folsom, who works closely with Keck in determining how to attack opposing hitters. "I was a little bit skeptical entering the season, to be honest. But right now, everybody’s pretty confident in our pitching." The game plan stays the same for all the Medford pitchers: throw strikes and use the defense. Ratios of 2.7 for innings-to-walks and 1.8 for strikeouts-to-walks show the arms are delivering. And the Mustangs, in search of their 10th overall Oregon state championship and first back-to-back crowns since 1991-93, believe their pitching can continue to get it done — never mind the skeptics. "That’s OK by us," Keck says. "You can’t control what people think. Hey, when I look at our team, I don’t say, ‘Hey, look at our pitching.’ I point to the kids up the middle. I say, ‘How many teams hit over .400?’ "And we’ve got good speed, good arms and good chemistry. Pitching is not the thing that jumps out at me. But it’s very capable of taking us where we want to go." Mustangs Statistics Through regular season BATTING Minimum 20 at-bats Player G AB R H Pct. Mike Allen 54 204 73 103 .505 Evan McArthur 54 210 77 105 .500 Rob Folsom 50 185 67 92 .497 Dustin Butler 46 117 34 50 .427 Chad Hegdahl 41 77 21 32 .416 Corey O’Neill 43 113 30 46 .407 Jim Ulrey 54 177 59 68 .384 Brett Timmerman 37 88 22 33 .375 Ryan Heil 54 198 63 74 .374 Reese Lamson 49 139 37 44 .317 Matt Smith 33 73 24 20 .274 Beau Hovland 28 29 7 7 .241 Tyler Engle 38 55 18 11 .200 Team 54 1,676 533 686 .409 RBIs — Evan McArthur 86; Mike Allen 64; Rob Folsom 54; Jim Ulrey 50; Dustin Butler 49. DOUBLES — Evan McArthur 30; Mike Allen 26; Rob Folsom 18; Jim Ulrey 16; Dustin Butler 11. TRIPLES — Evan McArthur 6; Mike Allen 4; Reese Lamson 4; Rob Folsom 3; Jim Ulrey 3; Ryan Heil 3. HOME RUNS — Evan McArthur 10; Rob Folsom 9; Jim Ulrey 8; Dustin Butler 4; Reese Lamson 3; Tyler Engle 3. STOLEN BASES — Reese Lamson 16; Rob Folsom 12; Ryan Heil 12; Evan McArthur 10; Jim Ulrey 10. PITCHING Minimum 5 innings pitched ERAs based on 7-inning games Player G GS IP R ER ERA Chad Hegdahl 12 8 571/3 19 12 1.47 Travis Glass 16 1 262/3 9 6 1.58 B. Timmerman 9 7 431/3 14 13 2.10 Mike Allen 12 10 70 30 27 2.70 Brady Rhodes 13 13 60 36 24 2.80 Beau Hovland 12 4 372/3 21 17 3.16 Dustin Butler 7 6 231/3 17 13 3.90 R. Goosmann 14 5 40 33 26 4.55 Team 54 54 365 1/3 185 144 2.76 WINS — Mike Allen 9-1; Chad Hegdahl 7-1; Brady Rhodes 7-1; Beau Hovland 6-2; Dustin Butler 5-0; Brett Timmerman 5-0; Richard Goosmann 5-1. SAVES — Travis Glass 3; Rob Folsom 1; Mike Allen 1; Beau Hovland 1; Brett Timmerman 1. COMPLETE GAMES — Mike Allen 7; Chad Hegdahl 4; Brady Rhodes 4; Brett Timmerman 4; Beau Hovland 2; Richard Goosmann 2. SHUTOUTS — Brett Timmerman 4; Chad Hegdahl 1; Brady Rhodes 1; Beau Hovland 1. STRIKEOUTS — Mike Allen 55; Brady Rhodes 42; Richard Goosmann 31; Chad Hegdahl 30; Beau Hovland 24. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times