Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 5, 1994 TAG: 9405050141
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By RALPH BERRIER, JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
The book on the Reed seed says the pitch has a lot of life and movement to it once it decides where it wants to go. Reed, the thoughtful Giles hurler, often pauses a moment before giving an intelligent response in conversation. Likewise, his fastball seems to ponder its direction to the plate a moment before darting swiftly and smartly.
Tucked away in the long fingers of Reed's left hand, the pitch is virtually hidden from hitters until the last possible moment, when it suddenly appears from nowhere and, as Giles coach Bruce Frazier put it, "gets on you pretty quick."
There's a phrase for a pitch like that.
"Sneaky fast," said Frazier.
Maybe that should be the title of Reed's autobiography. It seems that Reed, too, has come out of nowhere to become the ace of a Giles baseball team that currently leads the Mountain Empire District. The tall, slender southpaw is unbeaten in five decisions this spring and he began the week with a 1.12 earned run average.
He's the hottest pitcher in the league. So hot, in fact, not even the steady drizzles that have soaked his last two starts - wins against Floyd County and Auburn - have cooled him down.
"This year has been great," Reed said.
His career has been great. Hardly anyone knows this - in fact, Reed hadn't thought about it until it was pointed out to him - but Reed hasn't lost a game since his sophomore year, a stretch of 11 consecutive decisions.
He has an 11-2 career record and he has never lost an MED game. Last year, he was 5-0 and picked up district tournament wins over Auburn and Floyd County. He made a name for himself around the MED before that, when he beat Grayson County in a game that helped the Spartans win the regular season championship.
"That was a game that gave me some confidence," said Reed, who was the No. 2 pitcher behind Stevie Steele last year.
These days, Reed is the top pitcher on a staff made up exclusively of lefties. In a league where southpaws are scarce, Giles has three left-handers in senior Jason Dunn and sophomore Josh Stephens.
"I went my first eight years of coaching without having a single left-hander," said Frazier. "Now, I've got three."
All three have thrown well for the Spartans, who are 5-0 in the MED, 8-5 overall. Stephens, a hard thrower, has 37 strikeouts in 29 innings and Dunn has whiffed 21 in 13 innings.
Reed complements his fastball, which tails away from right-handed hitters, with a decent curveball and a forkball that has developed into his best offspeed pitch.
Those latter two pitches turned out to be fair-weather friends on Tuesday, when his curve and forkball abandoned him during the wet conditions, leaving him with a fastball that most observers feel is much faster than a year ago. He relied on the hard stuff and ended up with a 10-strikeout performance in a five-inning, rain-stunted win over Auburn. Reed currently has 34 strikeouts in 28 innings.
The fastball gets to the plate quickly, mainly because it has less distance to travel than other guys' heaters. With his long legs, long arms and long stride, the 6-foot-4 Reed seems like he's standing right on top of most hitters.
Now, he's hoping he can sneak up on a college coach or two and impress them with his improvement. Last summer at Virginia Tech's baseball camp, Reed was disappointed with his fastball, which was clocked in the 70-miles per hour range. He feels he has added about five miles per hour this year and could add another five within the next year if he adds some muscle to his 175-pound frame.
Since he has spent his high school years playing golf in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring and summer, he has scarcely had time to touch a barbell.
"There's a lot of room for improvement," he said. "I'm tall, skinny [and] not really muscular. If I could get into a weight-training program, my fastball would improve a lot.
"I'd tell [a college coach] that I'm just scratching the surface."
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by CNB