Whiteoak wins district championship with shutout of Waterford
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CHILLICOTHE — The process the Whiteoak Wildcats have followed all season long continued Wednesday night. This step of Whiteoak’s process led to them flipping the roles compared to one season ago by defeating the No. 2 seeded Waterford Wildcats, 10-0 in five innings, securing the second district championship in program history.
Last season, it was Waterford who won the district championship, and en route to that title, they defeated the Whiteoak Wildcats by an 11-1 score in the district semifinals. This year at VA Memorial Stadium, Whiteoak avenged that loss by not only winning in run-rule fashion, but the pitching of Chase Butler and the defense of WHS held Waterford to just one hit, just as Waterford did to Whiteoak last season.
[[In-content Ad]]
Whiteoak’s win also moves them to 26-2 overall on the season, and by gaining that win, they’ll play in the Division IV Regional Semifinals next Thursday (May 24) against the Toronto Red Knights, champions of the East District.
“It’s kind of ironic. The last district championship we won in 2013, we had a run-rule victory as well. This is a different team, and we go about the game a little bit differently,” Whiteoak head coach Chris Veidt said. “As a coach and as a coaching staff – with Coach O’Cull and Coach Combs – we learn as we go and change things. The way we play the game – the ’13 team was patient at the plate, but they didn’t apply the pressure on the bases like these guys did because we just didn’t require that of them. It was a different type team.
“The way we play the game, it takes a toll on people after a while. You saw that tonight and last night. We’re not necessarily stealing bases, but it’s the threat of those stolen bases that causes passed balls, wild pitches, balks, throwing the ball in right field. Then our kids come up with a clutch hit here and there, we play clean defense and get a great quality start from Chase Butler like we did, and that’s the formula of success we’ve been working on all year.”
Whiteoak — who are ranked the No. 1 team in the state Division IV coaches poll — wasted little time getting on the scoreboard Wednesday night in the district final with Traeten Hamilton singling on the first pitch he saw, sending the ball past the second baseman and into centerfield. Hamilton moved to second on a groundout to first by Chase Carraher, then stole third base, while teammate Caleb West — who drew a five-pitch walk — stole second on a double steal perfected by the Wildcats. West had no official at-bat as he was hit by a pitch and walked twice, though he scored two runs.
Next, Hamilton finished his journey around the bases, thanks to a groundout back to the pitcher by Evan Brill for the 1-0 lead. Hamilton finished the game 2-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.
Veidt spoke about Whiteoak’s aggressiveness on the bases and how it can cause havoc for their opponents.
“That takes them out of the game,” Veidt said of the base running. “The manner in which they (Waterford) were trying to hold – we had a couple scouting reports on them, and at no point in time did anyone say their pitcher was that deliberate, when you saw him take that long between pitches. To me, at that point in time, if they’re changing things just for us in that given situation, we already have them. That’s step one, in terms of having them where we want them. They’re starting to take the bait.”
The second inning saw the defense of the Wildcats shine with West making a diving catch in left field for the first out of the inning, stopping what could have been extra bases for Waterford. From there, Butler retired the next two batters with a called third strike and a groundout to first base. Rewinding back to the top of the first, the Wildcats ended that inning with a 4-6-3 double play.
Whiteoak added three runs in the bottom of the third inning with Hamilton, Carraher and West all rounding the bases, beginning with Hamilton — on a 3-1 count — drawing a walk, then taking second base on a balk. Next in the order was Carraher (1-for-2, hit by pitch, two runs, one RBI) who singled to centerfield, knocking in Hamilton for the run. In the same sequence, the centerfielder of Waterford made a fielding error, allowing Carraher to advance to third base with one out. Next, West drew a four-pitch walk, stole second base and went to third on an errant throw to second by the catcher, also allowing Carraher to score, making the score 3-0.
Still in the bottom of the third, West scored from third base off a sacrifice fly by Brill for the four-run lead. Brill finished with two RBI, one run and a walk.
Even with the plate presence and base running of the Wildcats, Butler, the starting pitcher for Whiteoak, was his usual self, forcing the Waterford club to make contact with the baseball, while scattering in some strikeouts along the way.
Through the first five innings, Butler allowed just one hit – and that didn’t come until the top of the fourth inning – a triple hit with one out.
Whiteoak made it the run-rule victory in the bottom of the fifth inning with Roberts, Hamilton, Carraher, West, Brill and Joey Oliver all scoring runs. Roberts opened the inning with a walk, followed by a double to left field by Hamilton for the 5-0 lead. Following a pitching change, Carraher was hit by a pitch, as was West, and Brill drew a walk. Carraher scored on a passed ball at home, as did Hamilton for a 7-0 lead.
Later, West scored off a base hit by Mason Lehr, and the final two runs crossed home off a double by Trever Yeager to score Lehr and pinch runner Joey Oliver for the 10-0 win.
“That was a laser there by Trever, a senior stepping up in that situation. Earlier in that inning, that ball Hamilton hit down the line was a rocket. I haven’t looked at the stats yet, obviously, but I’m going to guess they walked quite a few people as well, and that gets back into our plan too,” Veidt said. “Have a plan at the plate that requires them to throw a lot of pitches. We’re trying to get them, in a seven-inning game, up to 130 pitches or over. We didn’t go seven today, but obviously it took a toll. We went through three pitchers, so our kids did a fantastic job of doing what we preach, practice and require of them.”
Butler pitched all five innings, improving to 7-0 on the season. On Wednesday, Butler allowed no runs and just one hit for the win, while walking none, though he had two hit batters and finished with one strikeout.
Though it is a different team compared to last year for Whiteoak, they used the loss to Waterford in the district semifinals last year as motivation all season and offseason. Last year, Waterford held Whiteoak to a single hit in districts, and this year Whiteoak returned the favor.
“This group’s very competitive, and they’re very prideful. We knew coming into it – we talked about the progression of the last four years and that this was the year we’d really been planning for – and I can fire them up a little bit,” Veidt said. “It wasn’t the first time I did it all year. The mantra in the weight room’s been 'Waterford 100, Whiteoak 1,' when they start slacking or something like that, and they don’t like it. They take it personal, like they should. Not that that had any difference, but it was a motivating factor. There’s no question about that.
“That’s a class program in Waterford. They were district champions last year. It’s no ill will toward them, it’s just that it’s a selective way and unique way to motivate teenagers, especially when they’re as competitive as this group is.”
Next, the opponent is No. 1 seeded Toronto (20-4-1), the champions of the East District and the No. 4 state-ranked program, who defeated No. 7 seeded Strasburg-Franklin, 6-0 Wednesday in their district final game.
“We’re just going to stick with the process, like we’ve been talking about all year. We have our acronyms, we call them ‘strike three rope:’ have each other’s back, embrace the positive and flush the negative, and just play the game one pitch at a time,” Veidt said. “We’ve thrown four kids who’ve looked sharp on the mound. We’re going to be fine no matter who we play, where we play.
“Ultimately, it’s not who you play, it’s not where you play, it’s not when you play – it’s how you play. We talked about that tonight as well. These guys are very teachable kids. They’re a joy and a pleasure. I get to stick around them and be around them another couple weeks now, so I can’t wait.”
Last season, it was Waterford who won the district championship, and en route to that title, they defeated the Whiteoak Wildcats by an 11-1 score in the district semifinals. This year at VA Memorial Stadium, Whiteoak avenged that loss by not only winning in run-rule fashion, but the pitching of Chase Butler and the defense of WHS held Waterford to just one hit, just as Waterford did to Whiteoak last season.
[[In-content Ad]]
Whiteoak’s win also moves them to 26-2 overall on the season, and by gaining that win, they’ll play in the Division IV Regional Semifinals next Thursday (May 24) against the Toronto Red Knights, champions of the East District.
“It’s kind of ironic. The last district championship we won in 2013, we had a run-rule victory as well. This is a different team, and we go about the game a little bit differently,” Whiteoak head coach Chris Veidt said. “As a coach and as a coaching staff – with Coach O’Cull and Coach Combs – we learn as we go and change things. The way we play the game – the ’13 team was patient at the plate, but they didn’t apply the pressure on the bases like these guys did because we just didn’t require that of them. It was a different type team.
“The way we play the game, it takes a toll on people after a while. You saw that tonight and last night. We’re not necessarily stealing bases, but it’s the threat of those stolen bases that causes passed balls, wild pitches, balks, throwing the ball in right field. Then our kids come up with a clutch hit here and there, we play clean defense and get a great quality start from Chase Butler like we did, and that’s the formula of success we’ve been working on all year.”
Whiteoak — who are ranked the No. 1 team in the state Division IV coaches poll — wasted little time getting on the scoreboard Wednesday night in the district final with Traeten Hamilton singling on the first pitch he saw, sending the ball past the second baseman and into centerfield. Hamilton moved to second on a groundout to first by Chase Carraher, then stole third base, while teammate Caleb West — who drew a five-pitch walk — stole second on a double steal perfected by the Wildcats. West had no official at-bat as he was hit by a pitch and walked twice, though he scored two runs.
Next, Hamilton finished his journey around the bases, thanks to a groundout back to the pitcher by Evan Brill for the 1-0 lead. Hamilton finished the game 2-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.
Veidt spoke about Whiteoak’s aggressiveness on the bases and how it can cause havoc for their opponents.
“That takes them out of the game,” Veidt said of the base running. “The manner in which they (Waterford) were trying to hold – we had a couple scouting reports on them, and at no point in time did anyone say their pitcher was that deliberate, when you saw him take that long between pitches. To me, at that point in time, if they’re changing things just for us in that given situation, we already have them. That’s step one, in terms of having them where we want them. They’re starting to take the bait.”
The second inning saw the defense of the Wildcats shine with West making a diving catch in left field for the first out of the inning, stopping what could have been extra bases for Waterford. From there, Butler retired the next two batters with a called third strike and a groundout to first base. Rewinding back to the top of the first, the Wildcats ended that inning with a 4-6-3 double play.
Whiteoak added three runs in the bottom of the third inning with Hamilton, Carraher and West all rounding the bases, beginning with Hamilton — on a 3-1 count — drawing a walk, then taking second base on a balk. Next in the order was Carraher (1-for-2, hit by pitch, two runs, one RBI) who singled to centerfield, knocking in Hamilton for the run. In the same sequence, the centerfielder of Waterford made a fielding error, allowing Carraher to advance to third base with one out. Next, West drew a four-pitch walk, stole second base and went to third on an errant throw to second by the catcher, also allowing Carraher to score, making the score 3-0.
Still in the bottom of the third, West scored from third base off a sacrifice fly by Brill for the four-run lead. Brill finished with two RBI, one run and a walk.
Even with the plate presence and base running of the Wildcats, Butler, the starting pitcher for Whiteoak, was his usual self, forcing the Waterford club to make contact with the baseball, while scattering in some strikeouts along the way.
Through the first five innings, Butler allowed just one hit – and that didn’t come until the top of the fourth inning – a triple hit with one out.
Whiteoak made it the run-rule victory in the bottom of the fifth inning with Roberts, Hamilton, Carraher, West, Brill and Joey Oliver all scoring runs. Roberts opened the inning with a walk, followed by a double to left field by Hamilton for the 5-0 lead. Following a pitching change, Carraher was hit by a pitch, as was West, and Brill drew a walk. Carraher scored on a passed ball at home, as did Hamilton for a 7-0 lead.
Later, West scored off a base hit by Mason Lehr, and the final two runs crossed home off a double by Trever Yeager to score Lehr and pinch runner Joey Oliver for the 10-0 win.
“That was a laser there by Trever, a senior stepping up in that situation. Earlier in that inning, that ball Hamilton hit down the line was a rocket. I haven’t looked at the stats yet, obviously, but I’m going to guess they walked quite a few people as well, and that gets back into our plan too,” Veidt said. “Have a plan at the plate that requires them to throw a lot of pitches. We’re trying to get them, in a seven-inning game, up to 130 pitches or over. We didn’t go seven today, but obviously it took a toll. We went through three pitchers, so our kids did a fantastic job of doing what we preach, practice and require of them.”
Butler pitched all five innings, improving to 7-0 on the season. On Wednesday, Butler allowed no runs and just one hit for the win, while walking none, though he had two hit batters and finished with one strikeout.
Though it is a different team compared to last year for Whiteoak, they used the loss to Waterford in the district semifinals last year as motivation all season and offseason. Last year, Waterford held Whiteoak to a single hit in districts, and this year Whiteoak returned the favor.
“This group’s very competitive, and they’re very prideful. We knew coming into it – we talked about the progression of the last four years and that this was the year we’d really been planning for – and I can fire them up a little bit,” Veidt said. “It wasn’t the first time I did it all year. The mantra in the weight room’s been 'Waterford 100, Whiteoak 1,' when they start slacking or something like that, and they don’t like it. They take it personal, like they should. Not that that had any difference, but it was a motivating factor. There’s no question about that.
“That’s a class program in Waterford. They were district champions last year. It’s no ill will toward them, it’s just that it’s a selective way and unique way to motivate teenagers, especially when they’re as competitive as this group is.”
Next, the opponent is No. 1 seeded Toronto (20-4-1), the champions of the East District and the No. 4 state-ranked program, who defeated No. 7 seeded Strasburg-Franklin, 6-0 Wednesday in their district final game.
“We’re just going to stick with the process, like we’ve been talking about all year. We have our acronyms, we call them ‘strike three rope:’ have each other’s back, embrace the positive and flush the negative, and just play the game one pitch at a time,” Veidt said. “We’ve thrown four kids who’ve looked sharp on the mound. We’re going to be fine no matter who we play, where we play.
“Ultimately, it’s not who you play, it’s not where you play, it’s not when you play – it’s how you play. We talked about that tonight as well. These guys are very teachable kids. They’re a joy and a pleasure. I get to stick around them and be around them another couple weeks now, so I can’t wait.”