Stillwater's Two-Headed Pitching Monster Gives Ponies a Shot at State

For high school baseball, it is the old proverbial good problem to have: Two pitchers that could be considered the ace of the staff.

Coming into the season, the baseball team expected David Koll, the senior southpaw hurler, to have a solid season on the mound and he backed it up by posting an 8-1 record.

A pleasant surprise was senior Joe Zorn, who ended up being a regular starter after left-hander Jayson Pernu went down with an injury during the regular season.

“You look at what he has done and you can’t help but be surprised,” Ponies coach Mike Parker said. “His stats have proved it as he has some of the best numbers in the state.”

Last season Zorn pitched in certain spots of the rotation, but this year he was tossed into the starter role as the season progressed.

Koll said it was just a matter of time before Zorn found his niche.

“You could see that he was good,” Koll said. “He pitched in certain situations last year and was very good. Once he became a full-time starter, he just took off and was a big reason why we are in the tournament again.”

In the final two games of section play, it was Koll who calmed the bats of Mounds View on June 4, allowing no runs in a 3-0 victory.

Three days later, Zorn struck out nine Mustangs in an 8-2 win to a fourth straight state tournament appearance for Stillwater.

“The way the section tournament is set up, this is what you want to have on your team,” Parker said of Koll and Zorn. “You want two starters that can go a long ways with little to no help and maybe use one reliever.

“Luckily for us," Parker continued, "we didn’t have to use our reliever because Koll and Zorn just pitched awesome for us.”

“It really is a good thing to have,” Koll said. “A lot of pitching is confidence and I think Joe and I have a lot of that right now.”

Some of that confidence will be needed when the Ponies begin their possible title run today against Suburban East Conference rival Forest Lake in the quarterfinals at Midway Stadium.

Both teams tied for first in the SEC and split the season series with a win each.

This is also a rematch of last season’s state quarterfinals, where Koll took the mound, which he will do again to face Evan Johnson, who took the hill last season to beat Stillwater 2-0.

Parker said to expect another tight, low-scoring affair.

“This one should not have a lot of runs,” he said. “Both of us are pretty much the same team, pitch the ball well and catch it.

“With the two guys on the mound, it might be whoever scores first wins, because they don’t give up a lot as we saw last season and most of this season.”

Koll added that he believes the Ponies are more prepared this season than they were a year ago.

“I think we may have looked past this game last year,” he said. “We are ready for this one and we have a team that is mentally ready. So much of this game is mental and preparation and I think we got it.”

If the Ponies advance, they might have a one-two punch in their starting rotation that is perfect for high school postseason baseball.

It can turn around and give the ball right to Zorn with all the confidence of the city.

“Our team knows that we can go to any of them in any situation,” Parker said. “We are at state for the fourth year in a row, Koll and Zorn are a big reason why we are here and are able to get us to where we want to be.”

Stillwater will be aiming for its first state baseball title since 1991, its only championship in high school baseball.