Paul Pitches Like An Ace In Wildkit Win

Evanston baseball fans can’t wait for an “ace” to emerge on a young and untested pitching staff.

It might not happen this spring --- and it might not really be that important.

But Elliot Paul took a big step toward assuming that role for the up-and-down Wildkits Monday afternoon in Glenview.

The sophomore right-hander hurled five scoreless innings and helped the Kits climb out of the Central Suburban League South division cellar in a 5-1 victory at Glenbrook South.

Paul, who was facing freshmen hitters a year ago at this time, tamed the Titans by yielding just two hits in his mound stint while striking out six. Evanston improved to 12-11 on the season and 4-6 in league play, one game ahead of GBS in the standings.

The two teams resume the best-of-three series Tuesday at Evanston and will return to Glenview for the finale on Thursday.

In the past, with a Tuesday-Thursday conference schedule of games, most teams employed their No. 1 pitchers in the Tuesday contest. That pattern hasn’t necessarily followed under the new best-of-three format, but Paul has started Evanston’s Monday matchups in CSL South play against New Trier, Deerfield and Glenbrook North prior to the trip to Glenbrook South.

And he found a comfort zone on the mound Monday while making GBS hitters uncomfortable at the plate.

“Today I just really felt comfortable, and in my rhythm, out there,” Paul said. “And the whole team did a really good job of backing me up.

“I’ve thought a lot about how I have to attack hitters and how I have to trust my infield. With more (varsity) starts now I’ve been building up toward this. The first couple of games I pitched, I got a little nervous when I saw all these big guys (at the plate). But over time I’ve come to realize that I’m better than they are, that I can compete with anybody.

“My fastball was really there today. I was able to spot it up on the outside corner a lot.”

Paul earned his fifth victory of the spring, tops on the staff, by efficiently mowing down the Titans (9-17 overall, 3-7 CSL South). He only required 59 pitches through the first five frames and South’s only baserunners came on an infield hit by Evan Bonnell in the third inning and a walk to Anthony Nottage with one out in the fourth.

But when Paul hit Kevin Garden with a pitch on a 3-1 count leading off the sixth, and James Dooman reached on an error, Paul only lasted one more batter before ETHS head coach Frank Consiglio decided to turn to his bullpen.

Reliever Zach Bachochin pitched out of bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh to earn the save. He allowed three infield hits, two walks and hit a batter before nailing down the victory.

Consiglio’s not ready to describe Paul as his “ace” --- not yet, anyway.

“To be that, you have to be able to finish off a (seven inning) game,” pointed out the veteran coach. “That’s the next step for a young pitcher, to finish off a 90-pitch game and dominate the other team.

“That will just take time for Elliot. He was really tremendous for us today. That was his best outing of the year. He’s been good all year, but No. 1, we’ve tightened up our defense behind him, and that’s important because any young pitcher will struggle when you’re not making plays behind him.

“No. 2, he’s been consistently up in the strike zone and you can’t do that against varsity hitters. You can get away with it at the freshman level, but he had to make the adjustment to start pitching at the bottom of the zone. That’s the adjustment that has turned him from a good pitcher into a front-of-the-rotation pitcher. It wasn’t about the pitch count when I took him out. When you’re starting to lose your location late in the game, that can affect you.”

Consiglio has resisted ranking his starting pitchers in any kind of order in the past, even when it seems obvious to the casual fan. It might be a point of pride to be considered No. 1, but Paul already seems wise beyond his years while still remaining a competitor on the mound.

“I was a little surprised when Coach took me out, but I knew Zach or whoever would come after me would have my back,” Paul added. “I’m just a starter, not the No. 1 guy. Johnny Kellams and Owen Vander Velde are great pitchers, too. Ace is just a word, that’s all.”

On offense, the Wildkits scratched out runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames to pin the loss on South righty Roger Niedermaier, whose father Brad was a star pitcher at Niles West in the 1990s.

Every Evanston starter except Cole Vander Velde reached base at least once, and Vander Velde was robbed of an extra base hit because of a spectacular catch deep in right center by South’s Bonnell for the final out of the third inning. But the Kits still scored twice in that frame thanks to an RBI single by Ryan Rappoport and Aaron Shalin’s double down the left field line that plated Rappoport.

In the fourth, Tate Schroeder (2-for-3, RBI, run scored) drove in a run with a successful squeeze bunt. The visitors added some insurance in the fifth when Owen Vander Velde drew a leadoff walk that knocked starter Niedermaier out of the game.

Vander Velde stole second and third and came around to score on a throwing error. And Avan Teuer earned the final RBI by beating out a two-out grounder to shortstop that scored pinch-runner Dion Lane Jr.

Bachochin rapped a pair of singles as part of Evanston’s nine-hit attack.