Schuster throws 4 straight no-hitters

April 16, 2009
Schuster throws three straight no-hitters

Steve Brawner
Special to Rivals High

High school pitcher Patrick Schuster has a simple approach when he steps on the mound.

"I never go up there thinking that a kid's going to get a hit off me," Schuster said.

For the past three starts, no one has been able to get a hit off of him.

The 6-foot-2 left-hander from J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Fla., has thrown three consecutive no-hitters and will take the field Monday against his school's rival to try to extend the streak.

Schuster fired a complete game no-hitter in a 2-1 victory over Land O' Lakes on April 3. He threw another no-hitter April 8 at River Ridge in a game that ended after the fifth inning under a mercy rule with Mitchell leading 10-0. Schuster then no-hit Clearwater Central Catholic on Monday in a 2-0 victory.

Schuster, who is 7-0 with a 0.66 ERA this season, also threw the first six innings of a combined no-hitter to open the season Feb. 17.

He credits his success to luck, confidence and aggressiveness. But his 92 mph fastball might have something to do with it as well.

Schuster's coach, Scott Wilcox, said the pitch moves around a lot because of Schuster's three-quarter delivery, which is somewhere between a standard over-the-top pitch and sidearm. Schuster also throws a slider, curveball and changeup, all with good control.

Moreover, Wilcox said Schuster understands the game and his own capabilities.

"He just has the natural ability," Wilcox said. "I mean, this kid was born to be a pitcher."

Wilcox said teammates expect dominating performances from their star pitcher. After the third no-hitter, they shook hands with each other and with their opponents as if it were just another victory.

"The kids, they expect it," Wilcox said. "It's to the point where it's not surprising anybody, just because we've been watching Patrick the last four years, and he's just been getting better and better each year."

Schuster has kept his own celebrations as low-key as possible, preferring the team's traditional postgame meal at Beef 'O' Brady's to anything more elaborate.

Still, he enjoyed his most recent no-hitter.

"It was really exciting because it was pretty much on my shoulders the whole game," Schuster said. "I knew it was happening, and it was kind of a relief to finally have it over with. But now that I've got to do it again until I give up another hit, it's kind of nerve-wracking."

His next game is against rival Pasco on Monday, and he knows when he takes the mound that everyone is going to be watching to see if he can add to his streak. Schuster also knows that, eventually, someone is going to get a hit off him.

"I don't want to be heartbroken when it happens," he said. "It's going to happen. It's probably going to happen Monday, and everyone's going to be let down, but it's going to happen and I'm not going to be upset about it as long as we get the 'W.' "

Schuster, who lost an older brother to cancer several years ago, said he has wanted to be a baseball player since he was a toddler. His earliest formal picture features him wearing a baseball cap and holding a baseball.

"To be honest with you, every time anybody's asked me what I want to be when I grow up, it went from being a Power Ranger when I was 5 to being a Major League Baseball player," he said. "It's never changed. I sit down every once in a while and I think about, 'What would it be like to actually have a job?' It kind of scares me, to be honest with you. I hope to God everything works out."

His mother, Sharon, said baseball has always been a part of his personality.

"He is driven ? so competitive and aggressive on the field ? we have to rein him in sometimes," she said. "He is as kind a person as you ever want to know off the field, but an aggressive, driven individual on the field."

Between 10 and 15 major league scouts watched Schuster pitch his last no-hitter. A senior, he has already signed with the University of Florida and still plans to attend school there, but he's also waiting to see what offers he receives from the professional ranks.

While he hopes to earn a paycheck playing baseball, he also plays for fun. He said he hasn't spent more than two months away from the sport in the past five years and couldn't wait to get back on the diamond, even when he was playing for Mitchell's basketball team.

"I never take a break, and it's not because I want to get better all the time," he said. "It's because I love the game of baseball, and I can't get away from it."

High schooler throws fourth straight no-no
Florida senior strikes out 60 batters during stretch

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

04/20/09 11:11 PM ET

Patrick Schuster isn't a Major Leaguer but he's been pulling off one big league feat after another.

Schuster, a high school senior in a suburb of Tampa, Fla., pitched his fourth straight no-hitter Monday night, leading his Mitchell High team to a 5-0 win over rival Pasco with 17 strikeouts, according to The Associated Press.

"I never thought this would happen," Schuster told the AP. "I'm just having so much fun right now."

Schuster has thrown no-hitters in each of his four starts since April 3 and has struck out 60 batters in the games. He has improved his record to 7-0, and his team is 19-3.

Schuster has a fastball that has been clocked at more than 90 mph and plans to play at the University of Florida next year.

In the meantime, he's still got two more no-hitters to throw to match the high school record of six straight.

A scout's view

While clearly a star at the high school level, what kind of impact might no-hit phenom Patrick Schuster have on a professional level? Here's what one scout that MLB.com spoke to had to say:

Patrick Schuster, LHP, Mitchell HS, Fla.

Fastball: It's average, touching 90 mph with downhill plane.

Curve: Also grades out as average. He throws it 74-77 mph.

Changeup: He throws it 78-80 mph. It's an average offering as well.

Summary: Schuster is an interesting, if not spectacular high school lefty who is pretty much average across the board. His has a funky, deceptive delivery and knows how to pitch. The University of Florida recruit won't be among the top high school pitchers taken, but no-hitters aside, he could be an interesting middle-round choice for a team that thinks it can sign him away from his college commitment. Could possibly go as high as fourth round.

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

WOW, great job Schuster!

High school hurler's no-hit streak ends
Florida senior gives up double in district semifinal

By John Schlegel / MLB.com

04/28/09 8:22 PM ET

For the first time since March 24, Patrick Schuster finally gave up a hit Tuesday afternoon.

The left-handed senior at Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Fla., brought four consecutive no-hitters into his playoff start against Gaither High School, but a double by the second batter in the third inning ended the amazing streak.

Schuster set a Florida state record with his fourth consecutive no-hitter last week. The national record is six. The double snapped Schuster's streak of 28 1/3 innings without allowing a hit.

Gaither defeated Mitchell, 9-4, ending Schuster's season. He finishes 8-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 25 total pitching appearances this season.

The streak-snapping hit came during the Class 6A-District 7 baseball semifinal at Countryside High. Schuster struck the leadoff batter in the head with a pitch in the third inning, and then Gaither's Drew Doty delivered the double on an 0-and-1 count to end the streak before a standing-room-only crowd of 1,000.

In his next at-bat, Schuster hit an RBI single to give his team a 3-2 lead. According to the Tampa Tribune, Schuster was taken out after five innings with his team trailing, 5-4. Schuster allowed four earned runs and three hits, walking five and striking out five, according to the paper's Web site.

At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, the 18-year-old Schuster, who has signed with the University of Florida, is projected as anywhere from a second- to a fourth-round pick in the First-Year Player Draft in June.

Going into Tuesday's district tournament game, Schuster had given up just nine hits in 55 innings this season, and was 8-0 with 110 strikeouts while helping his team to a 23-3 mark. He had 60 strikeouts during the four-game no-hit streak, which began April 3.

Schuster would have become the fourth high school pitcher to throw five consecutive no-hitters. Two players have thrown six in a row. Chris Taranto of Notre Dame High School in Biloxi, Miss., did it in 1961, while Tom Engle did it in 1989 in Lancaster, Ohio.

Both were drafted by Major League teams. Taranto was taken by the Houston Colt '45s and Engle was drafted by the New York Mets. Arm problems ended both their careers before either could make it to the Majors.

John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

June 11, 2009
Schuster selected Mr. Baseball

A day after being picked far lower than he anticipated in the Major League draft, Mitchell High senior left-hander Patrick Schuster received a nifty consolation prize.

The state's Mr. Baseball award.

Schuster, who skyrocketed to national celebrity status when he pitched a state-record four consecutive no-hitters in April, finished with 94 points in a voting system conducted by Florida Dairy Farmers, Inc., which sponsors the award.

A panel of state prep coaches and media members voted among the players of the year in each of the state's six classifications. Schuster earlier had been named the Class 6A player of the year.

"I think it's great for my area and high school to get the recognition it deserves," said Schuster, a University of Florida signee drafted Wednesday in the 13th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Naples' Josh Patton, the 4A player of the year, was second with 77 points. Plant pitcher/shortstop Mychal Givens (59), a second-round draft choice of the Baltimore Orioles, finished third. Hernando Christian slugger Josh Romeo, the co-1A player of the year, was seventh (30).

Schuster's no-hit streak highlighted a dominant season that included a string of 28 1/3 consecutive hitless innings. He finished 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA, striking out 115 and walking 29 in 60 innings.

Surprisingly stout at the plate, Schuster hit .403 with 21 RBIs.

Cambridge Christian's Rick Shears, who led his club to the 1A state title game for the second consecutive season, finished sixth in coach-of-the-year voting.

JOEY KNIGHT

He signed with AZ

08/13/2009 4:13 PM ET
Owings, Schuster among new Osprey arrivals
Missoula continues to receive high draft picks from D-Backs
By Ben Catley / Missoula Osprey

MISSOULA, MT - The Missoula Osprey, in conjunction with the Arizona Diamondbacks, have announced that supplemental 1st-round pick, shortstop Chris Owings, and left-handed pitcher Patrick Schuster, the D-Backs' 13th-round selection in the 2009 MLB draft, have both signed contracts and have been assigned to Missoula to start their professional baseball careers.

In addition, the D-Backs have re-assigned right-handed pitcher Jake Hale to Missoula from Yakima. Hale was the 27th-round choice by Arizona in the 2009 MLB Draft.

Owings, who hails from Leesville, South Carolina, started for five seasons - he was the starting third baseman as an eighth-grader - at Gilbert High School, helping them win South Carolina Class 2A state titles in 2006 and 2008. Owings, a five-time all-area player, hit .400 his senior season, with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

Scouts were most impressed with Owings' above-average speed, his line-drive hitting stroke and his defensive skills. While he may end up as a second baseman later in his professional career, Owings could see time at both shortstop and second base with the Osprey.

Schuster is best known for throwing four consecutive no-hitters during his senior season at Mitchell High School in Florida. The left-hander, from New Port Richey, FL, was 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA, struck out 115 batters in 60 innings pitched, and the opponents could only muster a .064 average against him. He also hit .403 with 21 RBIs at the plate.

Both Owings (University of South Carolina) and Schuster (University of Florida) will forego their commitments to colleges to pursue their dream of playing professional baseball. Both were early signees this past fall.

Hale started the 2009 season at Yakima, where he posted a 2-2 record in 12 relief appearances, finishing three games for the Bears while posting a 5.29 ERA. This past spring, Hale set new single-season and career marks for saves for The Ohio State University, and was named to three different 2009 All-American teams. Hale was 0-1 with 18 saves and a 1.31 ERA this past spring for the Buckeyes. He was a starter and reliever for Ohio State during his collegiate career, but will come out of the bullpen for the Osprey.

To make room for the new additions, the Diamondbacks released veteran pitcher Anthony Smith. The former outfielder-turned-pitcher was 0-1 in seven appearances for the Osprey this past season.

Owings and Schuster are expected to be in uniform during the remainder of the current homestand, but when they will make their debuts has yet to be determined. Hale is likely to pitch sometime during the homestand, which concludes on Sunday.

Tickets for any remaining Osprey home game this season can be obtained by calling the Osprey at (406) 543-3300, stopping by the Osprey Team Store at 412 W. Alder, or ordering online at www.missoulaosprey.com.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

August 12, 2009
Florida recruit Patrick Schuster signs with Diamondbacks

Former Mitchell High left-hander Patrick Schuster, who gained national attention by pitching a state-record four consecutive no-hitters in April, confirmed this morning he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Schuster, a 13th-round pick, reportedly received a $450,000 signing bonus, passing up a scholarship offer to the University of Florida. That figure is above the recommended "slot" amount for a player drafted in Schuster's position.

He said he'll report to the club's rookie-league affiliate in Missoula, Mont.

"You know this means a lot because ultimately this is what any ball player is aiming for," Schuster told the Times via text message this morning. "Luckily I got the amount I wanted and I'm going to run with it."

A 6-foot-2 left-hander with 90-mph velocity and a knee-buckling slider, Schuster was far less diplomatic in an interview with the Diamondbacks' official Web site. He had been working out and attending summer classes at UF, but seemed disenchanted by the experience.

"You know what I figured that would probably hurry (the D-Backs) up a little bit, you know get them thinking a little," he told the site. "Then I got there and I don't like being treated like I'm stupid. I got there and they treated me like a dumb jock and I didn't appreciate it, I didn't like it."

JOEY KNIGHT

Typical U of F... they really do treat their student athletes like dumb jocks. Always have, always will. Good for Pat in being upset over this! Pat is an intelligent person who would have succeeded at any college.