July 13, 2016

Tyler King

Canadian Baseball Network

NASHVILLE - It was a scalding 95 degrees in Tennessee. Yet the balmy southern sun wasn’t the only thing making hitters uncomfortable on the opening day of the Sandlott World Championships.

Rather Jack Anderson and Alex Wall - the two Ontario Terriers 18-U pitchers who were given the ball for their tournament opening double header - spent most of the day roasting opposing batters with an unrelenting command of the strike zone.

Wall allowed three hits over six 1/3 innings in the Terriers 5-0 win against Old Hickory, while Anderson followed by throwing a no-hitter through four frames before his offence mercied North Columbus 11-1 in Game 2. 

The Terriers starters allowed just three walks combined - a stark contrast to the 18 their offence drew behind them. 

On a day where both pitchers had everything working, it seemingly would have been more of an effort to not throw a strike, rather than the other way around. 

But according to the two pitchers - and those who have closely monitored their development - their starts were nothing out of the ordinary.

“I don’t put any added pressure making the first start of a tournament,” said Wall after his Game 1 win. “I just try and go out there and do what I do - throw strikes.”

And throw strikes he did; including a barrage of breaking balls both in and out of the zone.

“My curveball was good today. I was able to throw it over and off of the plate to generate some swings and misses,” Wall said.

Dan Thompson - who founded this current incarnation of the storied Terriers and coached the Canadian Junior National team from 2007-2010 - was impressed by the start, but also saw it more as “business as usual”. 

“[Wall] was outstanding," Thompson said, "but that’s what he does. He fills up the strike zone, mixes his pitches, he locates. That’s his typical start.

“He’ll have a good college career. He’s going to eat a lot of innings.”

Wall has already committed to West Virginia Wesleyan College, but the 6-foot-2 right-hander from Richmond Hill says he wants to use any past success as motivation, not a crutch.

“I know guys are going to be better at that next level. So I have to keep working and improving each start.”

Although Wall remains self-critical even after a three-hitter, it’s hard to imagine his teammate Anderson finding much to criticize following his performance in Game 2. 

Through his four innings of hitless ball, Anderson allowed two batters to reach base. And with the changeup he was throwing, it’s no wonder why ...

“[Anderson] has one of the most advanced changeups I’ve ever seen for a high school pitcher,” said Thompson. “Many college scouts have touted it as a plus-plus changeup.”

Thompson has compared Anderson’s development to that of Major Leaguer Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.), high praise from the man who coached Diamond in the early-2000s with Team Ontario.

“He’s further along than Diamond was at his age - not his curveball, but his velocity and changeup.”

As good as the left-hander’s changeup is, even Anderson admits it was dancing a little more.

“It was biting a lot more than in some of my recent starts. I probably threw it 30% of the time today. It was pretty much the only off-speed I used and it worked.”

That’s a devastating weapon, especially given the fact that he claims the hot Nashville air helped keep his arm loose, and gave his fastball a little extra life.

Although neither Anderson nor Wall needed much run support, the Terriers offence supplied plenty of it anyway.

They scored 16 runs in their first two games, including a monster home run by infielder Jacob Martins over the 350ft sign in left-centre.

The Terriers will be looking for more of the same Thursday, as they try to go 3-0 when the big right-hander and Junior National team pitcher Sam Turcotte takes the mound.

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