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05-17-2007, 11:35 AM
Ex-W’boro pitcher stars for rival CHS
By Bill Spinks
Herald Democrat
CELINA — Jacob Bidelman’s high school story is one of two towns.
He left one to play for another after his sophomore season, then returned to his original school five weeks into his senior year. As fate would have it, those two schools — now district rivals — will face each other this weekend in the Class 3A Region II baseball quarterfinals.
Bidelman — all six feet, eight inches of him — will be on the mound Friday night for Celina when the Bobcats (24-5) open a best-of-three series against upstart Whitesboro (24-8) at McKinney’s Al Alford Field.
“There are kids that I like there, and I grew up with all these kids here,” Bidelman said. “It’s like playing at home both places. Celina never left me, so there’s a lot of emotion going on now.”
Celina head coach James Evans said he’s trying to get his Game 1 starter to put all of it aside for this weekend.
“We’re trying to make it as like just another game for him,” Evans said. “He’s going to have to come out and do like he did against Glen Rose and against Prosper.”
The Prosper win, of course, clinched the No. 1 seed for the Bobcats at the end of the regular season. Last Thursday in the area round, Bidelman held Glen Rose to three hits in an 11-0 Game 1 thrashing.
Bidelman started for the baseball Bobcats as a freshman and sophomore before moving with his family to Whitesboro in the summer of 2005. At Whitesboro, he was all-District 6-3A in baseball as a junior.
This fall, his family moved back to Celina, in time for Bidelman to suit up for the Bobcats’ final three regular-season games and the playoffs.
“It was just like coming home,” Bidelman said. “Everyone made me feel at home.”
In Week 10 at Whitesboro, Celina — en route to the Class 3A Division II state final — trailed Whitesboro, 9-6, well into the second half before the Bobcats woke up in the final 13 minutes with 28 points.
That game was a harbinger of things to come for the two schools in all sports. In basketball, Whitesboro swept the season series. In baseball, Celina won four very close contests, handing the Bearcats exactly half of their eight losses.
But Bidelman faced his former teammates only once, pitching a complete-game one-hitter in a 2-0 decision April 16 at Whitesboro.
“There was a lot of adrenaline and emotion going, because I know all those kids and I count them as my friends,” Bidelman said.
Bidelman signed with Temple College in January, and has also gotten some interest from professional scouts. He has a fastball clocked at 90 mph, uses a curve and a split-finger fastball, and tries to work in a change-up as well.
“I try to overpower people when I can,” Bidelman said. “I’m usually in the zone when I pitch, so I don’t even notice if anyone has a radar gun until someone comes up to me after the game.”
Bidelman is 10-2 on the year with 124 strikeouts vs. just 25 walks, and has an earned-run average of 1.17.
With fellow senior Chase Willard (8-1, 1.68 ERA), sophomore Troy McCartney and freshman Ryan Merritt (3-0, 0.41 ERA) to follow Bidelman in the rotation, the Bobcats present different pitching styles which can keep opposing batters off-balance.
“Jacob’s big and can bring it, and Chase has great command and hits his spots,” Evans said. “Jacob is pretty consistent; he got better as the year went along, and that’s one of our goals.”
Jacob’s younger brother Nathan, a sophomore, is already 6-6 and at 250 pounds, is of a stockier build.
“(Nathan) swings the bat real well at the plate,” Evans said. “He plays first base, but most of the time he’s our designated hitter. He’s still got some growing to do. Jacob grew quite a bit himself when he was a freshman and sophomore.”
Both Bidelmans, as well as the rest of the Bobcats, will be hard-pressed to make it five and six wins this weekend against a surging Whitesboro squad that — counting a play-in victory over Van Alstyne — is 5-0 in the postseason and making playoff history with each win.
Early on, the Bobcats topped Whitesboro in the Whitewright and Celina tournaments by respective scores of 9-2 and 6-1. But in district ball, the gap narrowed considerably, as Celina squeaked out both games by scores of 2-0.
“They’ve gotten better and better,” Evans said of Whitesboro. “They’re playing good ball this time of year. They’ve got a great coach (Curt Cole) and a great bunch of kids. They’ve got a bunch of seniors out there who want to win.”
Led by senior pitchers Jake Labhart and Blake Wilson, and a resurgent offense that put 20 runs on the board in last weekend’s sweep of 11-3A champion Lake Worth, the Bearcats are dangerous — and against Celina, they are due for a win. Maybe two.
“They have leaders,” Bidelman said. “When they played us our freshman year, they beat us. They’ve always had talent, and I think it finally came out this year. I’m really glad for them, and I’m proud of them, too.”
By Bill Spinks
Herald Democrat
CELINA — Jacob Bidelman’s high school story is one of two towns.
He left one to play for another after his sophomore season, then returned to his original school five weeks into his senior year. As fate would have it, those two schools — now district rivals — will face each other this weekend in the Class 3A Region II baseball quarterfinals.
Bidelman — all six feet, eight inches of him — will be on the mound Friday night for Celina when the Bobcats (24-5) open a best-of-three series against upstart Whitesboro (24-8) at McKinney’s Al Alford Field.
“There are kids that I like there, and I grew up with all these kids here,” Bidelman said. “It’s like playing at home both places. Celina never left me, so there’s a lot of emotion going on now.”
Celina head coach James Evans said he’s trying to get his Game 1 starter to put all of it aside for this weekend.
“We’re trying to make it as like just another game for him,” Evans said. “He’s going to have to come out and do like he did against Glen Rose and against Prosper.”
The Prosper win, of course, clinched the No. 1 seed for the Bobcats at the end of the regular season. Last Thursday in the area round, Bidelman held Glen Rose to three hits in an 11-0 Game 1 thrashing.
Bidelman started for the baseball Bobcats as a freshman and sophomore before moving with his family to Whitesboro in the summer of 2005. At Whitesboro, he was all-District 6-3A in baseball as a junior.
This fall, his family moved back to Celina, in time for Bidelman to suit up for the Bobcats’ final three regular-season games and the playoffs.
“It was just like coming home,” Bidelman said. “Everyone made me feel at home.”
In Week 10 at Whitesboro, Celina — en route to the Class 3A Division II state final — trailed Whitesboro, 9-6, well into the second half before the Bobcats woke up in the final 13 minutes with 28 points.
That game was a harbinger of things to come for the two schools in all sports. In basketball, Whitesboro swept the season series. In baseball, Celina won four very close contests, handing the Bearcats exactly half of their eight losses.
But Bidelman faced his former teammates only once, pitching a complete-game one-hitter in a 2-0 decision April 16 at Whitesboro.
“There was a lot of adrenaline and emotion going, because I know all those kids and I count them as my friends,” Bidelman said.
Bidelman signed with Temple College in January, and has also gotten some interest from professional scouts. He has a fastball clocked at 90 mph, uses a curve and a split-finger fastball, and tries to work in a change-up as well.
“I try to overpower people when I can,” Bidelman said. “I’m usually in the zone when I pitch, so I don’t even notice if anyone has a radar gun until someone comes up to me after the game.”
Bidelman is 10-2 on the year with 124 strikeouts vs. just 25 walks, and has an earned-run average of 1.17.
With fellow senior Chase Willard (8-1, 1.68 ERA), sophomore Troy McCartney and freshman Ryan Merritt (3-0, 0.41 ERA) to follow Bidelman in the rotation, the Bobcats present different pitching styles which can keep opposing batters off-balance.
“Jacob’s big and can bring it, and Chase has great command and hits his spots,” Evans said. “Jacob is pretty consistent; he got better as the year went along, and that’s one of our goals.”
Jacob’s younger brother Nathan, a sophomore, is already 6-6 and at 250 pounds, is of a stockier build.
“(Nathan) swings the bat real well at the plate,” Evans said. “He plays first base, but most of the time he’s our designated hitter. He’s still got some growing to do. Jacob grew quite a bit himself when he was a freshman and sophomore.”
Both Bidelmans, as well as the rest of the Bobcats, will be hard-pressed to make it five and six wins this weekend against a surging Whitesboro squad that — counting a play-in victory over Van Alstyne — is 5-0 in the postseason and making playoff history with each win.
Early on, the Bobcats topped Whitesboro in the Whitewright and Celina tournaments by respective scores of 9-2 and 6-1. But in district ball, the gap narrowed considerably, as Celina squeaked out both games by scores of 2-0.
“They’ve gotten better and better,” Evans said of Whitesboro. “They’re playing good ball this time of year. They’ve got a great coach (Curt Cole) and a great bunch of kids. They’ve got a bunch of seniors out there who want to win.”
Led by senior pitchers Jake Labhart and Blake Wilson, and a resurgent offense that put 20 runs on the board in last weekend’s sweep of 11-3A champion Lake Worth, the Bearcats are dangerous — and against Celina, they are due for a win. Maybe two.
“They have leaders,” Bidelman said. “When they played us our freshman year, they beat us. They’ve always had talent, and I think it finally came out this year. I’m really glad for them, and I’m proud of them, too.”