Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye / John Gaines Photography
With the start of postseason play a mere two weeks away, Payne Prottsman is finding his groove.
That’s great news for the Notre Dame High School baseball team, and bad news for any team that has to face the hard-throwing Notre Dame senior hurler.
Prottsman had his best outing of the season Thursday in a 15-1, five-inning win over West Burlington in an SEI Super Conference South Division game at Falcon Field.
After yielding a run on two hits in the bottom of the first inning, Prottsman slammed the door on the Falcons. He didn’t allow a hit or a run after the first inning. He walked two batters and struck out nine.
At one point, Prottsman sat down nine straight batters and had a string of six straight strikeouts and seven in eight batters.
“It was a good night for me, one of my best for the season,” Prottsman said. “It went a lot smoother when my team put runs up on the board. It’s easier to pitch with a lead. When we put enough runs up on the board, it makes me stress-free out there and that helps a lot.”
Prottsman has been the Nikes’ go-to pitcher the last two seasons. When they need a win, Notre Dame coach Chris Chiprez hands the ball to the 6-foot-2 Prottsman and lets him do his thing.
More often than not, Prottsman delivers a gem.
“Payne did a great job,” Chiprez said. “I think he started 75, 80 percent of the guys on top. You start guys on top and you can control the hitter for the most part. I thought he did a great job. He was in command of the game the entire time.”
Prottsman struggled in his first two outings. He allowed five hits and three runs, walked four and struck out six in a loss to Central Lee to open the season, then surrendered three hits and four runs while walking five and fanning six in five innings in the first meeting with West Burlington.
With districts set to begin on July 3 and with the Nikes just one game behind Mediapolis in a tight South Division race, the Nikes’ ace is dialed in and ready for one last ride.
“He’s just a seasoned guy,” Chiprez said. “He knows how to handle himself. He’s been pitching at the varsity level for four years. Nothing truly rattles him. I’ve never really seen him get too rattle. He’s a great leader to have up on the mound.”
“(The big lead) felt good. I knew as soon as that happened it was going to be good for the rest of us,” said Prottsman, who will play baseball next season for Cornell College. “It felt good. I needed this outing. My first couple were a little rough, higher pitch counts. Tonight made me feel comfortable. I’m looking forward to the postseason.”