One must feel empathy for the hitters who have to face Milton High senior pitcher Gwen Baker.
Baker is 6-foot-1 and stands just 43 feet from the plate as she winds up her right arm.
“She’s all legs,” says Milton head coach Kurt Mussey. “That circle we draw around the pitcher is 8 feet. She’s almost at the end of that ring when she throws.”
Baker’s fastball has been clocked at 65 mph. From 43 feet away, that would be like a baseball pitcher throwing 90 mph from 60 feet.
But a straight fastball is not Baker’s main arsenal. Her riseball comes in at 62 mph. Her dropball has been measured at 64 mph.
Those are her two “go-to” pitches. But there are more.
Her drop curve has been registered at 63 mph and her screwball at just more than 59 mph.
And while she is still mastering it, her changeup comes in at around 40 mph.
Hitters have little chance. In her four-year career, she has watched batters trudge back to the dugout after striking out 777 times.
The daughter of Andrew and Teresa Baker has 71-18 record and 540 innings pitched. In the past two seasons, she is a combined 43-6. This season, Baker has two perfect games and one no-hitter and has seven career perfect games.
The 777 career strikeouts have shattered the former school record set by Erika Reif, who shared starting pitching duties as a senior in Baker’s freshman season.
She is 21-2 this season as the Red Hawks prepare to enter WIAA Division 1 tournament play Thursday afternoon against ninth-seeded Beloit Memorial. Milton’s 12-2 record in the Badger Large Conference earned the Red Hawks a share of the conference title with Beaver Dam.
Baker earned first-team All-Badger Large honors for the third straight season. She is expected to be named to the All-District first team for the third straight season and make the Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches Association (WFSCA) all-state first team for the second straight season.
Her 21 victories lead the state. Baker’s 238 strikeouts rank second in the state behind Coleman High School senior Courtney DenRuyter. Baker led the state last season with 22 victories and was third in strikeouts with 261.
Baker is ready for the postseason, which Milton enters with a nine-game winning streak.
“It’s ‘go’ time,” she said of tournament play. “I’m checked in and feeling good.”
JennIE Finch was an idol
Baker became interested in pitching early in her life. Jennie Finch, a collegiate and U.S. Olympic standout pitcher, was her idol. She began receiving pitching lessons when she was 11.
That is when she started playing in summer traveling leagues. In 2022, at a summer tournament in Indianapolis, coaches from Indy-based Butler University approached the coach of her Velocity team.
“I went to a few camps and just fell in love with the campus and the coaches,” Baker said. “I just knew it was the right fit for me.”
Butler coach Scott Hall is looking forward to having Baker on his team.
“Gwen is an elite talent in the circle,” Hall said in a statement on the Bulldogs’ four recruits. “She has all the physical tools and skillset to be a dominant pitcher in the Big East.
“Her command of the strike zone and ability to keep hitters off balance will be very effective at the next level.”
Hall is also anxious to have Baker’s personality on his Bulldogs squad.
“She has such a fun personality that the dugout is going to get a kick out of her, for sure.”
Mussey can vouch for that.
“Gwen is the ultimate competitor,” Mussey said. “You would think at that level of competitiveness, she would come in and be a little tight and quiet.
“But when I walk into the ballpark or bus, Gwen is loose and excited like a kid on Christmas morning,” the Milton coach said. “She’s just having a blast. I see that and know everything is good.”
Final weeks of high school career
Baker now is concentrating on helping the Red Hawks, ranked No. 7 in the latest WFSCA Division 1 poll, have a blast in the WIAA tournament. The goal is to reach the state tournament, which begins Thursday, June 6 at the Goodman Softball Complex in Madison.
After the high school season concludes, she’ll join her Velocity summer team that is based in Slinger and play in six or seven weekend tournaments.
Then it will be time to enroll at Butler in late August. With a reduced workload, Baker expects to pick up even more zip on her pitches as a college pitcher.
Baker plans to major in kinesiology. She has a 3.96 grade-point average and is a member of Milton High’s National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
“I’ve really pushed myself,” Baker said. “I want to be the best person in the classroom and outside the classroom.”
She expects that to continue this fall in Indianapolis.
“I’m excited to meet new people,” said Baker, who plans to major in kinesiology. “And it’s going to be a whole new level in softball.”
Baker has mastered the present level she is at. Those 700-plus strikeout victims will attest to that.
Most Popular
Comments / 0