Here are a couple of Michael "the Mann" videos

http://www.edgewarevideo.com/wesleyanbaseballvideos.htm

http://blip.tv/file/2139932

Wovles repeat as state champs

By David Friedlander
Staff Writer

Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips
Wesleyan’s Josh Tolman celebrates with his teammates as he falls to his knees after the Wolves beat Landmark Christian to win the Class A state championship on Saturday.

Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips
Wesleyan’s Merritt Hall screams as he runs out of the dugout after the Wolves beat Landmark Christian to win the Class A state championship Saturday.

NORCROSS - Both Wesleyan and Landmark played every card they had Saturday in the Class A state baseball finals.

When the War Eagles were left with an empty hand, the Wolves still had their ace in the hole.

Forced into a third and deciding game after Landmark's 6-4 win in Game 2, Wesleyan stopper Devin Stanton delivered a five-hit, complete game.

And got all the support he needed with four first-inning runs as the Wolves clinched their second straight state championship with an 11-1 win at Donn Gaebelein Field.

The junior left-hander, who won Game 1 with two innings out of the bullpen Friday, was available for Game 2, but the Wolves (27-10) never gained the lead, and coach Mike Shaheen elected to hold on to his ace for the rubber game.

"If we didn't pull this off, the move of holding onto (Stanton) could've really hurt us," Shaheen admitted. "But our feeling after we won that first game (was), we have that in the bank, they have to win two (and) they had a catcher (Blake Austin), who's got to be worn out, and it worked out."

And true to Shaheen's forecast, the Wolves wound up facing Austin in Game 3 after he caught the first five innings of Game 2 and then closed it out with two innings in relief of Jonathan Roberts (10-2) with his third save of the season.

It quickly became apparent the Landmark (25-10-1) junior right-hander was tiring early as he issued consecutive walks to Lee Ellis and Brent Pugh with one out in the top of the first.

But after Wesleyan stranded 12 baserunners against Roberts and Austin in Saturday's opener, nothing was guaranteed, a point illustrated when J.J. Russell fouled out to third for the second out of the inning.

However, Fithian, who delivered the game-winning RBI single Friday night, came up big again. This time, he lined a two-run single to give the Wolves an early 2-0 lead.

"I was thinking, 'I've got to put the ball in play, and good things will happen,'" said the senior second baseman/pitcher said, who finished the series 5-for-11 with seven RBIs. "I did not want to go out on a loss. None of the seniors did. We were all going to lay it on the line."

So were the rest of the Wolves, and when junior Carter Garrison launched a two-run home run later in the inning to extend the lead to 4-0, they felt pretty good of their chances with Stanton (9-2) on the mound.

"Devin's been pitching great all year," said Garrison, who was 2-for-3 for Game 3, including his sixth homer of the year. "I just had the feeling we had it."

That was the same feeling Wesleyan assistant coach Jeff Morris had, though Shaheen had his doubts when Landmark started the bottom of the first making solid contact off Stanton, including Colby Wren's solo homer that pulled the War Eagles to within 4-1.

"Once they got that one home run and that was it, Coach Morris turned to me and said, 'That's all they're going to get, coach,'" Shaheen said. "I said, 'I'll take it, but are you sure about that?' And he was right."

Stanton made sure Morris was right by getting out of trouble in the first and then getting stronger as the game went along.

He was at his strongest in the final three innings, when he set down nine of the final 11 Landmark batters he faced, including striking out seven of the last nine.

"At the beginning, I was focusing too much on velocity," Stanton said. "I realized I didn't have my (best) stuff. I just had to hit spots and let them get themselves out. When I started locating my fastball, I was getting them guessing and getting them off balance. That definitely helped."

By that time, the Wolves brought their bats out of the hibernation they were in during Saturday's first game.

Kevin O'Leary's three-run homer in the third gave Wesleyan breathing room at 7-1 and the Wolves tacked on four more runs in the sixth - three of which came home on Fithian's bases-clearing double - that allowed Stanton to clinch the game on the run-rule by striking out the side in the bottom of the inning.

Aside from Fithian, Garrison and O'Leary, other Wesleyan hitting heroes in Game 3 included Lee Ellis and Daniel Cardwell, who had two hits each. Cardwell finished the day 4-for-7, while Garrison and O'Leary also drove in a run each in Game 2.

By ROBERT NADDRA

For the AJC

A strong start on offense and a strong finish by its starting pitcher Saturday added up to a second straight state baseball championship for Wesleyan.

By David Friedlander
Staff Writer

Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips
Wesleyan’s James Russell, right, is met at home plate by his teammates as he scores in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game against Landmark Christian Academy on Friday. Wesleyan won the first game in the Class A state finals 10-9 in eight innings.

NORCROSS - As with a lot of sports, taking a few chances and sheer luck can be a big part of baseball.

Game 1 of the Class A state finals between Wesleyan and Landmark Christian produced both.

Wolves coach Mike Shaheen rolled the dice by using ace starter Devin Stanton in relief, and Drew Fithian overcame some bad luck early on the mound by producing his third hit of the game to drive home the winning run in Wesleyan's 10-9 victory Friday at Donn Gaebelein Field.

The Wolves (26-9) have two chances to win one game for their second straight state title beginning with Game 2 today at 2 p.m.

How much Stanton (8-2), the originally-scheduled starter in Game 2, will figure into the mix today remains to be seen after an outstanding two shutout innings of relief Friday, though he figures to make an appearance at some point.

"It all depends on how I feel," said the junior left-hander, who threw fewer than 30 pitches in his two innings Friday. "Hopefully I can be more efficient (today) so I can still throw a good number of innings."

Stanton was efficient enough Friday to strike out five of the seven batters he faced. His outing helped Wesleyan stay in a wild affair that featured a huge power display by Wolves first baseman J.J. Russell (3-for-4, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs) and Landmark (24-9-1) catcher Blake Austin (3-for-4, 2B, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs).

And Fithian ended it after riding a roller coaster of emotions throughout the day. His luck couldn't have been worse in the first inning.

The senior right-hander gave up five hits - all pop flies, seeing-eye hits in the hole or high choppers - and fell victim to an error.

That opened the door for Landmark to take a 4-0 lead before Fithian and the Wolves recorded an out.

However, Fithian managed to snag Seth Wessinger's chopper to the mound and turned it into a 1-2-3 double play, and then struck out Seth Hudson to escape further damage.

Wesleyan rewarded Fithian's courage by answering with three runs in the first two innings to cut Landmark's lead to 4-3.

Russell then pulled Wesleyan even in the third by launching a long solo home run to right, and one out later, Kevin O'Leary drove home courtesy runner Alex Thykeson with a single that gave the Wolves their first lead of the day at 5-4.

Russell pulled even bigger heroics in the bottom of the sixth after Austin hit a grand slam - his second homer of the day - to vault the War Eagles back in front at 9-6 in the top of the inning.

The senior first baseman went with a 2-1 pitch from Tanner Bryant (9-3) and lofted it over the fence in left-center, capping a three-run rally that started with two outs and the bases empty with a three-run shot to pull Wesleyan even again at 9-9.

"How big is J.J. coming up clutch?" Wolves coach Shaheen asked rhetorically. "That was (Landmark's) chance to win a game when you're a visitor."

Stanton held the fort long enough for Wesleyan to get the opening it needed, which came in the bottom of the eighth, when a pair of errors put Brent Pugh on second with only one out.

With a base open, Landmark elected to pitch around the red-hot Russell and take its chances with Fithian, who had already had two hits and an RBI on the day.

Not showing any sign of frustration over a pitching start in which he looked dominating at times, but also gave up eight earned runs and eight hits over six innings, the senior turned on an inside pitch and found the hole between third and short, bringing home Pugh with the game-winner.

"I've kind of been struggling a bit with the bat - trying to find something that works," Fithian said. "Normally, teams throw me inside because I can't really handle it. But I've been working on it, and I can ... hit it now."

Russell and Fithian had three hits each out of 14 for the Wolves, while Kevin O'Leary also had three hits and drove in a run and Brent Pugh added two hits.

By Robert Naddra For the Journal-Constitution

Jason Getz / jgetz@ajc.com  Wesleyan rallied three times and finally beat Landmark Christian in extra innings in the first game of the Class A state baseball championship. Game 2 is on Saturday 

In a game that featured 19 runs and 21 hits, two runs in the bottom of the first inning were especially significant to Wesleyan coach Mike Shaheen.

By Will Hammock
Sports Editor
 

Photo: Mark Young
Wesleyan Wolves short stop Kevin O’Leary, right, makes the tag on Brookstone’s Taylor Herndon, who attempted to steal second in Game 1 of their playoff series Monday.

Early in the baseball season, it looked like the Wesleyan dynasty might be in trouble.

The Wolves had graduated a loaded senior class from its 2008 Class AA championship team, leaving numerous holes in the lineup this season. The new faces got off to a bumpy start, splitting the season's first 10 games.

Three of those losses were to AAAAA and AAAA teams, the final loss an 11-1 blowout loss to Region 8-AAAAA South Gwinnett, a senior-laden team. That sent Wesleyan into spring break with a .500 record.

But that's where the season turned back around. The Wolves responded by winning 20 of their next 24 games, including Monday night's sweep of Brookstone in the Class A semifinals.

"Honestly, I guess no one really expected us to do anything (after losing so many seniors from the state title team)," Wesleyan senior catcher Brent Pugh said. "After we had that 5-5 start going into spring break, I guess people kind of wrote us off. But we like that. Now we're coming back and showing people what we can do."

Wesleyan (25-9) has won eight of nine games in the postseason, the last five pretty handily. After a pair of one-hit pitching efforts against Schley County in the quarterfinals, the Wolves got seven home runs in a Game 1 win Monday over Brookstone. Then Devin Stanton pitched another one-hitter in Game 2, sending his team back to the state finals for the third time in four seasons.

Like the previous two finals appearances, Wesleyan will be at home.

"To host (the state finals) three times in that short of a span is something special," Wesleyan coach Mike Shaheen said. "I don't know that too many people are able to do that."

It didn't look like this group would be playing for any titles, either. But it got better as the season progressed, and Brookstone saw just how much better on Monday.

The Cougars defeated Wesleyan 13-4 back on March 7, but saw a much different team this time around.

"We played them in March and we knew what they had," Brookstone coach Vince Massey said. "Just the coaches they have, the type of athletes they have, the way they play the game and the way they swing the bats we knew they were good. And we knew we didn't see their best pitching that day (in March). But we did (Monday) with those kids (Drew Fithian and Stanton)."

By Will Hammock
Sports Editor

 

Photo: Mark Young Wesleyan Wolves’ Conor Welton beats the throw in to Brookstone catcher Will Braxton to add another run for the Wolves during Game 2 of their Class A state semifinal series on Monday at Wesleyan. The Wolves swept the series to advance to the finals.

Photo: Mark Young
Wesleyan Wolves catcher Brent Pugh puts the tag on Brookstone’s Joey Lewis at home plate for the final out of Game 1 on Monday at Wesleyan. The Wolves swept the Class A semifinal series. 

NORCROSS - After bashing seven home runs in Game 1, the Wesleyan baseball players entered the nightcap laden with confidence.

Not just in their bats, but also in who was on the mound. Junior ace Devin Stanton had yet to pitch.

The left-hander delivered with his second straight playoff one-hitter as the Wolves survived two weather delays and swept Brookstone in the Class A semifinals. They rolled to a 14-4 victory in five innings in the opener, then rode Stanton and small ball to a 5-0 win in the clincher.

Last year's AA state champions now host the winner of the Landmark Christian-Calvary Day series, which begins today, in Friday's state finals.

"I can't believe we hit the ball that well," said Wesleyan coach Mike Shaheen, whose team will host the state finals for the third time in four seasons. "That was phenomenal. The last month or so we've been talking about how our top (of the order) hits, but our bottom doesn't, and vice versa. We finally put those together tonight. ... And Devin was lights out. He really was.

"These guys are peaking at the right time, right here at the end of the season. That's what you want."

Wesleyan (25-9) gave Drew Fithian (5-5), who typically starts Game 2, support from the start in the series opener. Conor Welton and Lee Ellis hit solo shots to lead off the game, part of a four-run first inning.

The Wolves got nine more in a second inning that featured four homers. Josh Tolman and Welton hit solo shots, Daniel Cardwell had a two-run homer and Carter Garrison provided the big blow, a grand slam. J.J. Russell had an RBI double in the inning, which also included three Wesleyan walks.

After a 37-minute rain delay in the middle of the third inning, Brent Pugh pushed the lead to 14-3 with a solo homer.

Fithian gave up four unearned runs aided by some defensive miscues, but the Wolves closed out Game 1 with a defensive gem. Brookstone (24-9) appeared to have a sacrifice fly that would have cut the deficit inside 10 runs - and extended the game by at least an inning - but Welton rifled a throw from right field. Pugh tagged out the Cougars' Joey Lewis at the plate, sending the home crowd into jubilation.

Game 2 was all about Stanton, who befuddled the Brookstone batters for six innings of one-hit ball. He was perfect for 41⁄3 innings before giving up a single, but was in command all night, even after sitting through a rain delay of more than an hour and returning to pitch the seventh.

He threw 83 pitches, 63 of them strikes, and finished with 14 strikeouts.

"The Stanton kid was lights out," said Brookstone coach Vince Massey, a 1987 Parkview grad and the son of Parkview assistant Roy Massey. "We heard a lot of different scouting reports that you have to make him throw his curveball for strikes. But he had as good control on his breaking pitches as he did his fastball."

Wesleyan scored a single run in each of the first three innings of Game 2 with an RBI single from Fithian, a solo homer by Kevin O'Leary and an RBI groundout by Russell. Russell also drove in the fourth run with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. Welton provided some insurance with an RBI single in the seventh, driving in Bobby Worthington.

That offense backed up another strong outing by Stanton.

"He's just a special pitcher," Shaheen said. "He's one of a kind. He's like (Grayson) Garvin was. When you have him going out there you feel really confident."

By David Friedlander
Staff Writer

Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips
Drew Fithian’s role has changed dramatically for the Wesleyan baseball team this spring. Originally slated to be the team’s closer, he has been forced into the starting rotation due to injuries. It has taken a while for him to adjust, but Fithian has won his last two starts, including a one-hitter in the Wolves’ quarterfinal playoff series sweep of Schley County.

NORCROSS - Adjust, adapt and overcome.

Those are three words that have served Drew Fithian well during this season with the Wesleyan baseball team.

As much as his role in the Wolves' pitching staff has changed throughout this spring, the senior right-hander has had to do all three.

He has done all three of those things quite well and will once again be a major factor in Wesleyan's run for a second straight state championship. The Wolves welcome Brookstone to Donn Gaebelein Field for a Class A semifinal series Monday.

"My dad (Ted) pitched in college (at Ohio State), and he's always saying, 'Keep your head up and keep throwing strikes,'"Fithian said. "He's always been there to talk to me after a game and give me a review and keeps me (focused)."

With all the adjustments Fithian had to make early this season, it would've been tough for many high school pitchers in his situation to keep their heads up.

After being a big cog coming out of the bullpen as Wesleyan won the Class AA state title last year, Fithian was expected to become the Wolves' closer this season.

But early-season injuries to starters Devin Stanton and Brooks Colquitt forced him to make the occasional start.

"We moved him to second (base from third base when he wasn't pitching) for the purpose of being the closer," Wesleyan coach Mike Shaheen said. "That was a move we said we needed to do, not knowing he'd have to end up being a starter in big situations."

While he didn't pitch poorly in those early starts, the results weren't always pretty.

Plagued by a mechanical problem with his curveball and some shaky early-season fielding behind him, Fithian was 0-5 at his nadir.

However, Shaheen had no doubt Fithian would be able to bounce back.

"Drew is a microcosm of the senior class," Shaheen said. "Drew has done a great job. He's moved positions defensively. Hitting, he's hitting fifth, but he's not your typical No. 5 hitter. ... And then pitching-wise, he's had to do a few different things."

Fithian has made those adjustments well. He has won four straight decisions since that start to raise his season record to 4-5 with a 3.17 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 461⁄3 innings, and has been solid at the plate with a .295 average and 14 RBIs.

Still, it took a while for Fithian to figure things out. While the defense behind him slowly improved, he was still looking to make an adjustment with his curveball, and he turned to teammate Stanton and pitching coach Brian Krehmeyer for answers.

"It was easier when I figured out my curveball," Fithian said. "It's a pitch I'm able to throw for strikes more now. Coach Krehmeyer is working with that, and Devin also gives me a lot of advice, which is awesome."

Just as awesome is how effective Fithian has proven to be in clutch situations.

Last year, he picked up a win and a save and gave up just one earned run in four playoff appearances in Wesleyan's title run.

This spring, he's been even more effective going 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA in three postseason outings - including two starts, a role neither he nor Shaheen anticipated, though one that became necessary as Colquitt's arm ailments have lingered.

"We knew he could be a starter for Game 3 in the playoffs, but we didn't realize he'd have to be a Game 2 guy," Shaheen said. "He obviously had to be really versatile this year. But he and all the other seniors ... have had to be that way."

NORCROSS - After closing out a Game 1 victory with his 11th strikeout, Devin Stanton turned into a spectator.

Staff Photo: Jason Braverman
Schley County catcher Jimbo Horne, left, does not get the ball in time as Wesleyan’s Bobby Worthington scores during the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader.

Staff Photo: Jason Braverman
Wesleyan’s Lee Ellis (6) and Conor Welton (11) are congratulated by their teammates after scoring during the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader.

The left-hander, fresh off of a gem of his own, thoroughly enjoyed what he saw.

Teammate Drew Fithian stifled powerful Schley County with a one-hitter in the nightcap - following Stanton's one-hit outing in Game 1 - as Wesleyan swept the Wildcats 7-1 and 6-1 in Tuesday's Class A quarterfinals.

The host Wolves didn't hit a single home run in what's known as a hitters park, but thanks to two sterling efforts on the mound it didn't take much offense. Last year's AA state champs move on to Monday's semifinals either at Darlington or at home against Brookstone. Those two teams play Game 3 today.

"It feels really good," Fithian said. "We knew (Schley) could swing it and they put up a ton of runs. Devin and I were competing with each other pretty good to see who was better. We couldn't decide so we went with a tie."

Both were satisfied with their efforts, even if they couldn't outdo the other.

"We were actually going at it pretty good there," Stanton said.

The duo held down a Schley offense that entered averaging nearly 11 runs a game. The Wildcats (25-6) had scored 43 runs in four playoff games.

Against Stanton and Fithian, they managed only two hits. The top four hitters in their lineup went a combined 1-for-23.

"I had a feeling this would be a special day," Stanton said. "But I didn't think two one-hitters in a row would come out."

It all started with Stanton, who rolled through a senior-laden Schley lineup with a steady dose of curveballs. He walked two batters and hit two, allowing just one unearned run.

The junior threw 52⁄3 innings of no-hit ball and the Wolves (23-9) won despite an inability to deliver too many big offensive blows.

Fithian was perfect through 41⁄3 innings of Game 2, mowing down the game's first 13 batters before giving up a first-pitch homer to Schley's Tony Lizarraga. He followed it up by loading the bases with two walks and a hit batter.

But he rallied with a strikeout to close the fifth inning. He then needed only five pitches to retire the side in the sixth before giving way to Kevin O'Leary, who pitched a scoreless seventh.

"That was gutsy (to get out of the fifth-inning jam)," Wesleyan coach Mike Shaheen said. "I know I've said it before, but the kid was playing cornerback in the (Georgia) Dome (for the state finals). He's a tough kid and he knows what it's like to be in pressure situations."

The Wolves left 16 runners on base in the doubleheader, with 13 of those being in scoring position. They stranded at least one runner in all but one of the 13 innings.

But the offense did plenty to win without the long ball, thanks to a 10 stolen bases in 11 tries.

Conor Welton led the attack, going 6-for-8 with five RBIs, four runs and two doubles, one that appeared to be a Game 1 home run when it hit above the yellow line on the center field wall.

Brent Pugh was 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the opener and walked twice in the nightcap. Daniel Cardwell was 2-for-3 with three runs, two walks and a sacrifice.

But the quarterfinal sweep won't be remembered for its offense. Not after what Stanton and Fithian did on the mound.

"That was awesome pitching," Shaheen said. "Those guys did an awesome job against a great hitting team."

O'Leary gets call, steps up for defending champion Wolves

By David Friedlander
Staff Writer

Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips
Wesleyan’s Kevin O’Leary has stepped up to replace a void in the Wolves’ offense left by the Class of 2008. O’Leary leads the team in home runs and RBIs

NORCROSS - Like many other underclassmen on last year's Class AA state championship team, Kevin O'Leary knew he had to be patient. O'Leary knew he had to wait to become a big contributor on a Wesleyan baseball team that had been loaded with three- or four-year starters.

Even when that opportunity came at the beginning of this season, the junior infielder was left wondering exactly what he got himself into.

Now, however, with the Wolves getting ready to take on familiar rival Holy Innocents' in the second round of the Class A state playoffs, O'Leary has fully seized his opportunity.

"He's still learning," Wesleyan coach Mike Shaheen said. "(But) the potential is there. ... Kevin was one of the unfortunate ones (last year). He had to sit behind (Georgia Tech infielder) Connor Winn. Some of us in our lifetime have had to sit behind great players and wait for their senior year. Luckily for him, it's his junior year."

Heading into today's doubleheader, O'Leary leads a powerful Wolves lineup with nine home runs and 33 RBIs - numbers which place him in the top five in Gwinnett County.

Throw in a .363 batting average, 26 runs scored, an 1.161 on-base slugging percentage and some solid defense and the 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior had gained enough confidence to become a mainstay in the Wesleyan lineup.

"Things have started clicking for me," O'Leary said. "You've just got to get your confidence up. You walk up (to the plate) thinking nobody's going to get you out, good things are going to happen."

While some of his fellow juniors like Conor Welton, Devin Stanton and Brooks Colquitt saw playing time in last year's state title run, all this was new to O'Leary.

And it took a few games for him to adjust. The biggest adjustment was moving from his natural position at shortstop to second base, which Shaheen said he did for two main reasons.

Shaheen was doing some experimenting with his infield and wanted to take a look at other players.

But he also wanted to test O'Leary and send a message to him that he wasn't just going to inherit the starting shortstop job from the graduated Winn. He would have to earn it.

"I think he took that a little bit to heart, (but) he was frustrated by it," Shaheen said. "To some extent, that was our purpose - to challenge him. ... We let (catcher) Brent Pugh get out (to shortstop) because he'd played there over the summer.

"What we realized is, we needed Brent behind the plate. And shortstop wasn't getting a whole lot of balls hit out there. Sure enough, once we moved (O'Leary) out there, balls started going out there, and Kevin stepped up. We challenged him, and he was up to it."

O'Leary was up to it enough for Shaheen to move Pugh back behind the plate and send his first-year starter back to his natural position at short, where he has thrived ever since.

Still, O'Leary knows he has a lot to learn, especially seeing his first action under postseason pressure.

But while he readily admits that first playoff experience in Wesleyan's first-round sweep of Hebron Christian last week was an eye-opener, he also says he's a quick study and will be ready for an even more pressure-packed series against Holy Innocents'.

"We walked out there in the first inning of our first playoff game - just hearing the music (over the public address system) and seeing all the people in the stands and how many fans (Hebron) brought - it was awesome," O'Leary said. "We definitely know the (Holy Innocents') fans are going to be brutal. We just have to kind of block it out."