The only local team left competing for a WIAA baseball state championship on Thursday was Saint Mary Catholic in Division 3. The Zephyrs fell just short of their second championship in the last three years and standing in the way was the Washburn family.
Gatorade Player of the Year, Jack Washburn pitched five innings striking out 11. He also went 1-2 at the plate with a RBI and a two runs scored.
"He's gifted," Saint Mary Catholic head coach Phil Janssen said. "He's only a junior so he'll be back next year. He's going to be alright."
The Zephyrs found a way to get to Washburn in the first inning when T.J. Skrzypczak hit a 2 RBI double. Washburn then settled in and didn't give up another run the rest of the game.
"The first couple of innings I was struggling to find the zone but I moved on from it," he said. "Would liked to have pitched the whole game but it's alright, we pulled out the [win]."
Jack was forced to come out after five innings because his pitch count was too high, and he was replaced by his younger brother Owen, who threw two scoreless innings, helping secure the first state baseball title in Webster history.
Jack and Owen are the sons of Webster head coach Jarrod Washburn, who has quite the winning track record himself. Jarrod won an NCAA DIII National Championship with UW-Oshkosh in 1994. He also won a World Series championship with the Anaheim Angels in 2002. While Jarrod has plenty of accolades on the mound, watching his kids pitch is a whole different ball game.
"It's tough watching, being a dad and a coach," he said. "The nerves are unbearable sometimes in the dugout but I love them to death."
