Schuster Unhittable Again

Mitchell's Patrick Schuster is beginning to make a mockery of the mystique behind throwing no-hitters.

Tossing one in a season - or in a lifetime - is incredible. Hurling two in a row? That's implausible.

And three consecutive no-no starts? Unfathomable.

But Schuster accomplished just that Monday night against Clearwater Central Catholic, reaching an echelon of pitching excellence that is seldom if ever seen at any level of the sport.

Johnny Vander Meer, eat your heart out.

The University of Florida signee went all seven innings without allowing a hit or a walk on 96 total pitches. Only three Crusaders reached base, one that Schuster plunked and two on fielding errors, during Mitchell's 2-0 non-district victory.

"He's on a roll and he's got confidence in every pitch he's throwing right now," Mitchell head coach Scot Wilcox said of his ace. "That's why we're seeing so much success out of him."

He also added that the performance couldn't have come at a better time for the Mustangs or for Schuster. CCC had Mitchell on the ropes and Schuster had a load of pro scouting higher-ups in attendance evaluating his sharpness.

In addition to the no-hitter, Schuster also added 16 strikeouts.

"Last night was probably the best performance out of his last three," Wilcox said.

The streak started on April 3 with a 17-strikeout game against county-rival Land O' Lakes. Five days later Schuster befuddled River Ridge hitters, adding another 10 punchouts. The southpaw has now K'd 43 batters over the span.

One reason for Schuster's latest successes is his efficiency, Wilcox said.

"In the past Patrick tended to waste a lot of pitches once he got ahead of a hitter. Now if he gets up 0-2, he's doing a good job of wasting just that next pitch to try and get the batter to bite. Then with the next one he's coming right back and pounding the zone."

With professional scouts beginning to flock evermore to see Schuster pitch, it's not just the evaluators who are enjoying what they witness.

"His teammates around him are just watching and enjoying what they're seeing," Wilcox said. "It's not too often you get to see a performance like that three times in a row."

Schuster will try for consecutive no-hitter No. 4 on Monday night at home against another county power, Pasco High.

[Reader's Note - For those who may not be familiar with the earlier reference above, Johnny Vander Meer set a Major League record when he pitched consecutive no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.]