April 20, 2009

Steve Brawner
MORE: Clovis West (Calif) throws three no-hitters with three different players | Top 50 teams

Patrick Schuster did it again.

The pitcher from J.W. Mitchell High School (New Port Richey, Fla) threw his fourth consecutive no-hitter Monday night in a game against rival Pasco High School. Schuster struck out 17 in the 5-0 victory. He also walked one batter and hit another.

The high school record for most consecutive no-hitters is six.

He pitched before an overflow crowd of fans, local media and scouts who told him his fastballs were hitting 92 mph in the last two innings.

"My adrenaline just kicked in, and I was just heaving," Schuster said.

As before, his teammates observed baseball tradition and did not mention the no-hitter as the game progressed.

"The kids do a good job of not spoiling it, but they've had a lot of practice this year," Mitchell coach Scott Wilcox said.

Schuster, a 6-foot-2 left-hander, entered the game on a streak of no-hitters that began April 3 against Land O' Lakes and continued April 8 against River Ridge and April 13 against Clearwater Central Catholic. He also pitched the first six innings of a combined no-hitter during the season opener on Feb. 17.

Waiting in the dugout before the seventh and final inning on Monday, Schuster said he was thinking, "Hurry up and get out so I can get back out there and get this over with. I just wanted to finish it one way or another."

Schuster struck out the first batter to lead off the seventh. The next batter reached first on an error by the shortstop; then Schuster struck out the next batter. With two outs, the next batter was a left-hander who Schuster had easily gotten out in his previous at-bats. The first pitch was a called strike; the second was a curveball way off the plate that drew a swing and a miss. Schuster then threw a fastball straight up the middle on the next pitch and struck the batter out looking.

Schuster and his teammates had been remarkably businesslike during the previous no-hitters. This time, Schuster threw his glove into the air.

Catcher Doug Burlett ran to him and gave him a World Series-caliber hug. His team piled on Schuster in celebration. His mother, Sharon, had to fight through a crowd of reporters to tell him she was proud of him.

In the last week, Schuster has been interviewed by most of the well-known national sports media outlets. He has signed to play with the University of Florida next year but is considering playing professionally.

For now, his main concern is his next game - the district playoffs next Tuesday against a yet-to-be-named opponent. He knows there will be added attention and pressure, but his main concern is getting his team a victory. Getting a fifth straight no-hitter is a secondary concern because, he said, "Who goes into a game expecting to throw a no-hitter?"

Of course, that's exactly what he said after his last no-hitter.

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Dallas Jackson (email)
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