HEATH ― Heath baseball coach Tom Warren believes senior Riley Baum is so gifted athletically, he could have been a cross country or distance star in track.
"But he chose to play baseball with his buddies," Warren said.
Whether it was tying the school's single-season and career records for triples, or scoring all the way from second base on a safety squeeze, Baum knew how to play only way: fast.
The Division III state champion Bulldogs are grateful that Baum focused on the diamond and the mound in particular. After going 8-2 with a 1.46 ERA, leading Heath in strikeouts and innings pitched, and throwing complete-game victories in the regional finals and state semifinals, Baum is the Advocate's Pitcher of the Year.
"I focused on my mindset this season, more than my mechanics," he said. "During workouts and focusing on every single pitch. If I threw a bad pitch, so what? It's how you respond to it. Just come back with the next pitch. (Assistant) coach (Mike) Saalfield said make sure you throw every pitch with a purpose, and he made really small adjustments with me. "
Observed Warren: "Coach Saalfield worked well with him. Later in the season, he had more bite on his breaking ball, and his control was impeccable. And his mindset was right all year."
In the state semifinals against two-time defending state champion Waynedale, Baum was put to the test when the Golden Bears jumped ahead 3-1. The Bulldogs rallied to tie it. Baum pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam and finished strong, going eight innings before Conner Toomey's game-winning triple.
"I was a little nervous at first, like, 'Hey, we're actually back here,'" he explained. "But after the first few innings, I snapped out of it. I realized how hard we had worked to get to that (state title) goal. Coach Warren said, 'Baumer, just do what you've been doing all year. There's zero pressure.'"
The work began shortly after Heath lost 2-1 in last year's state semifinals to Harrison Central.
"Nearly every day in the offseason," Baum said. "After last year, we put our minds to it. We focused on winning, more than anything. We knew we had it in us. It was there. We just had to take it a step further."
Senior teammate Hayden Woodward, the Advocate's Player of the Year, said every year, he has seen Baum step up his game.
"He works harder than almost anyone I know," Woodward said. "I'm in the gym with him a lot. Whatever he does, he's going to put absolutely everything into it."
One of Baum's few setbacks came when he tried to save the game at rival Newark Catholic, and the Green Wave won 6-5. The Bulldogs never lost again, reeling off 13 consecutive victories en route to a 28-2 finish.
"I wasn't worried at all," Baum said. "Something flipped after NC, and that lit us up. We kept our goals, and things fell into place. We definitely had a lot of confidence coming into the season, and we kept it (getting back to Akron) in the back of our minds all year. Once we got there, there was no reason to play with any nerves."
Baum was also locked in at the plate, as evidenced by his .402 batting average, six triples and 13 stolen bases. He delivered a three-run triple in the regional semifinal win against Cincinnati Country Day.
He and Woodward are enjoying one last summer together with Licking County Athletics 18u. Soon Baum will head off to Chatham University, an NCAA Division III school near Pittsburgh.
"It's pretty new. They didn't start until 2015," Baum said. "They've really struggled the last few years, but this coach came in and they went .500 in his first season. He reached out and he's stayed in touch. The big thing is, I'll be able to pitch and play in the field, be a two-way player, and you don't see that with most college teams."
Warren has no doubt he'll succeed.
"He's still developing as a baseball player," he said.
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