Steve Pipkin East Valley Year: Senior Sport: Baseball Position: Pitcher

The weather may not be warming up, but East Valley’s Steve Pipkin is bringing some heat.

And a lot of it has to do with the fact that the weather has been bad this spring.

In a recent contest, Pipkin was on the mound when ominous thunderclouds moved over the field about halfway through the game. Pipkin started delivering his pitches quicker, and he has used the tactic ever since.

“I was taking a long time on a big windup and that worked really well, he said. “Coach (Kurt Krauth) has been working with me on the mechanics, and so far I’ve gotten good results.”

Last week, Pipkin moved his record to 5-1 (he also has six saves) in convincing fashion Saturday when he pitched EV to a 1-0, nine-inning shutout win against Clarkston.

Earlier in the week he pitched the Knights to a 7-2 win over Cheney.

The Knights’ three-game win streak has secured them a postseason playoff berth, and the team can clearly point to Pipkin as someone who has helped lead the charge.

“He’s starting to throw now like he did at the end of last season,” EV coach Kurt Krauth said. “He’s a strong kid who enjoys the game. He likes baseball and talks about it a lot.”

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