Untouchable?

Jorge Reyes has emerged as one of the top pitchers in 1A baseball Edward Rodriguez following in his shadow

WARDEN — Jorge Reyes stepped onto the scene of the Warden Cougars' baseball team during their first-round regional playoff game with Colfax - the defending state champions.

Once the spotlight was his, he made sure it kept shining on him. Then sophomore Reyes held the Bulldogs to a two-hit shutout that sent the defending champions home, while keeping the Cougars alive during the 2004 playoffs.

Well, that was last year.

This year, Reyes no longer has the 20-run support while on the mound, but he does have a fastball his catcher Edward Rodriguez calls "smokin'."

And "smokin'" might sum up Reyes' performance on the mound.

So far Reyes has struck out 93 batters in 51 innings pitched. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 9-to-1, has allowed three earned runs and compiled a record of 9-0 this season.

Reyes gave up his first run of the season on a solo home run against Cle Elum, which was his first home run allowed in high school.

"He enjoys himself out there," said Warden head coach Jerry Powell, who said Reyes earned the start against Colfax last year over a veteran pitching staff of two seniors.

Reyes said he likes to challenge hitters, like the time he gave up a solo home run to Cle Elum's Bryce Hill on May 2. It was the first home run Reyes had allowed in high school and his first earned run allowed on the season.

And it was the fastball, Reyes' bread and butter, that the home run came from, but that hasn't stopped Reyes from challenging batters.

This season, Reyes has been clocked at 92 mph on his fastball and has consistently kept it around the high 80s the entire season. He has an array of pitches that he can rely on, but when he feels challenged, Reyes said, he goes straight to the fastball.

"I feel comfortable with my fastball," he said.

"He reaches back to get a lot of velocity," Powell added.

Powell said he knows all the tricks, which has made him a true magician on the mound at the 1A level, and nearly untouchable.

And while the magic show has impressed his coach, teammates and opponents, he has different reasons on his mind for doing what he does. It's more for his dad, who Reyes calls "dedicated" to his success as a pitcher.

"He would like us to go big time," Reyes said about his and his older brother Robert's success on the diamond.

And for good reason too. His dad owns a trucking business that brings him into the office at 6 a.m. and usually home around 10 p.m. Not the kind of hours he wants for his children Reyes said.

"I think my dad makes me a better pitcher," Reyes said. "Everything I do is for him."

Backing him up on the mound has been Rodriguez, who has caught for Reyes his entire high school career. While that doesn't seem like much, Rodriguez is one of the few that can expect a high-80s pitch.

He knows the importance of framing for the umpire and expecting a velocity that has recorded 93 outs of 153 by strikeout.

"There are some days he can throw smoke," Rodriguez said.

When he isn't wearing a catchers mit, Rodriguez has spent his share of time on the mound, learning from Reyes and starting to create a name for himself.

So far, Rodriguez has compiled a record of 5-1, striking out 39 and walking 28 in 36 1/3 innings pitched. He credits his growing success on the help of his teammate and friend.

"He has told me there are going to be times when they are going to start hitting you," Rodriguez said. "You have to deal with it and pitch your game."

That mental approach has been what Powell has tried to teach Rodriguez the most to this point, saying that the mechanics of being a pitcher are already there. And Rodriguez and Powell both say is an attribute Reyes, as a junior, already grasps.

"I have not seen no one better than Jorge Reyes," Rodriguez said.