Making it work as DH
The sacrifice is an integral part of the game of baseball.
Sometimes the sacrifices are small – giving up an at-bat to lay down a bunt to advance a runner. Sometimes they hurt a little. “Taking one for the team,” allowing yourself to be hit by a pitch, can definitely leave a mark.
But sometimes the sacrifices the game asks of a player are big and hurt. A lot.
Brandon Shryock knows this, and still he makes the sacrifice willingly and with class.
The University High School senior, one of the team’s three captains, is taking one for the team and leaving a distinctive mark by putting good of the team ahead of his own personal goals and aspirations.
A year ago, Shryock was the Titans’ starting third baseman.
This year Shryock lost his full-time starting job at third base. He splits time, spot starting at third and designated hitter.
“It’s tough losing your starting job,” he said. “But Jacob Olsufka has made huge strides at shortstop, and coach (Scott Sutherland) moved our starting shortstop, Danny Jordan, to third base. Now I share time at third with Danny.
“I was worried at first that it would be harder for college coaches to see me by just being a designated hitter. Coach talked to me, and he told me to trust. They’ll see me. He’s doing everything he can to make sure they do.”
The way the Titans are playing this season will certainly draw plenty of attention.
Even after suffering their first loss Thursday at Ferris, the Titans will hold a one-game lead in the Greater Spokane League with a 7-1 league record.
“The win we got last week against Ferris was huge,” Sutherland said. “We were able to beat Andrew Kittredge – we may end up being the only ones to have beaten him by the time it’s all over. He’s that good.”
Junior left-hander Billy Moon out-dueled Kittredge, throwing a two-hit shutout as the Titans took a 4-0 victory at home.
Kittredge got a measure of revenge Thursday, posting a 12-5 victory.
Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of rival Central Valley was especially sweet. The Titans, behind the pitching of Moon and Jordan, shutout the Bears twice while scoring 19 runs.
That gives University wins over two of the league’s top pitchers in the past two weeks: Ferris’ Kittredge and Central Valley lefthander Rusty Shellhorn.
“I think Rusty is an even tougher pitcher to hit than Kittridge,” Shryock said. “Kittridge throws a 90-mile-per-hour fastball, but he’s always around the strike zone and you pretty much know what’s coming. Rusty doesn’t throw as hard, but his ball moves a lot, and he’s tougher to hit.”
It all came down to patience Wednesday, Sutherland said.
“We wanted to make sure we were patient at the plate and make Rusty throw strikes,” Sutherland said. “Rusty was great for five innings, but we made him throw a lot of pitches, and I think he wore down.”
Even if prospective college coaches see Shryock in action, they will have missed perhaps his biggest contribution to his team’s success.
Shryock, along with Moon and Jordan, are team captains, and at U-Hi, it’s not just an honorary title.
“We start in on our winter workouts right after Christmas,” Shryock said. “We’re in the gym throwing, we’re in the cage hitting. But the thing is, the coaches can’t have a single thing to do with any of it. That’s all run by the captains. We’re the ones who have to make sure everyone gets in there and gets their work done.
“When you first come up to the varsity, you want to think that it’s now your team. But it’s not your team; it’s the seniors’ team. It’s about doing what you can to help those seniors be successful. This year we have a big senior class, and we’ve dedicated ourselves to this season.”
To get the full measure of Shryock and his love of the game, one needs only watch him practice.
“I can guarantee you that no one – no one – works harder in practice than we do,” Shryock said. “We come out, and we work hard every day in practice. That’s important. Every minute you waste could be a couple extra swings in the batting cage or a couple extra ground balls you could take.”