Tyler Wardell, Brady Sargent boost Snow Canyon baseball's offense

ST. GEORGE, Utah – It is nothing short of a shrewd move to pair Tyler Wardell and Brady Sargent together in the batting order.

When opposing teams see the duo batting third and fourth for Snow Canyon (St. George), it presents quite a dilemma. Walking consecutive batters is not a good idea under most circumstances. Pitching to either Wardell or Sargent, however, can leave a team vulnerable to get picked apart at the plate.

Wardell leads the state with 12 doubles. Sargent ranks second in Class 3A and third in the state with six home runs. The two hitters have combined for more than 50 RBIs between them this season, leading to a No. 14 overall state ranking in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings.

"There's no doubt we can put some runs on the board," Snow Canyon coach Reed Secrist said. "It's great to have them in the middle of the lineup."

Sargent admits it has not been easy to put up hits and runs this season. Many teams choose to either pitch around him or Wardell to limit the damage they can do at the plate. That means the 6-foot-2 junior sees fewer pitches entering the strike zone.

It also means he makes every effort to not let those pitches go to waste. Give Sargent a shot at making a good swing and he'll deliver a long ball.

"I try to look for that first pitch," Sargent said. "A lot of kids try to get ahead in the count and if they do that, you've got to make them pay for it."

While Sargent specializes as a long ball hitter, Wardell does a good job of just piling up hits. His batting average has hovered around .400 all spring. The 6-3 senior approaches each turn at the plate with the same goal: He just wants to put the ball in play and see what happens.

"When you put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense to make plays, then – no matter what – it's on the defense now," Wardell said. "When you do that, it gives everybody else a chance (to score) and your team a chance to win."

It isn't hitting alone that makes Wardell and Sargent stand out. Both players make their presence felt beyond what they can do with their bats.

For Sargent, this involves being a catcher who uses his combination of size and quickness to form a formidable tandem with whomever is pitching for Snow Canyon. He has sure enough hands to compensate for wild pitches and a strong enough arm to keep any would-be base stealer honest.

"He's a wall back there," Secrist said. "There's no doubt about it. As big as he is, he moves really well. He just adds a lot to our pitching staff being back there."

Wardell enhances what Snow Canyon can do in the outfield from his spot in right field. His coaches have tinkered with playing him at third base in practices. Pulling the trigger on such a move during an actual game is a different matter.

Secrist has seen few outfielders in his high school coaching career that possess comparable arm strength to Wardell. Such a trait adds value when giving up even one extra base can be the difference in a run or stranding a runner on base.

For his part, Wardell feels at home in right field because it gives him the freedom to make plays.

"I love the outfield," Wardell said. "You have a lot more room to just be able to do your thing."

Snow Canyon is battling to reach the playoffs and win a third-consecutive Class 3A title. If both Wardell and Sargent find a way to keep doing what they do best, there's no reason to count out the Warriors from mounting yet another title run.

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can email him at john_coon@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports