The list of single-season high school baseball strikeout leaders in Texas is an impressive one that includes legendary Nolan Ryan and former prep sensation and No. 1 draft pick David Clyde. After a staggering performance this spring,
Josh Gaitan of
Charlotte can add his name to that list.
Gaitan saw his season come to an end over the weekend in a Class 2A playoff series loss to
Schulenburg. He had eight strikeouts in a his final game to bring his total to 221, which is No. 1 nationally by a large margin.
Once a fairly common occurrence, 200-strikeout seasons have become increasingly rare due to rule changes by the NFHS. Gaitan is the first high school pitcher in the nation to fan over 200
batters since 2014 when Cody Reed of
Ardmore (Ala.) struck out 226 in
2014.
Additionally, Gaitan is the first Texas pitcher to accomplish the feat since Brad Kuntz of
Lake Travis (Austin) had 205 strikeouts in 2010.
In Texas, Gaitan ranks No. 9 all-time just 23 strikeouts behind Ryan, who had 244 strikeouts his senior year at
Alvin in 1965.
Back in the 1960s and 70s, high school pitchers were workhorses who pitched multiple times a week. Clyde broke the national record with 327 strikeouts for
Westchester (Houston) in 1973.
But in 1990, the NFHS instituted a 10-14 innings per week rule in an effort to limit arm injuries. In 2017, the NFHS changed to a pitch-count rule, preventing pitchers from throwing more than 110-125 pitches per week.
As a result, single-season 200-strikeout performances became hard to attain. Since 2000, only 11 pitchers have struck out 200 batters in a season and none since the pitch-count rule went into effect.
200-strikeout seasons since 2000
272 – Nate Wernette,
Morley Stanwood (Morley, Mich.), 2003
227 – Tyler Stovall,
Hokes Bluff (Ala.), 2007
226 – Cody Reed,
Ardmore (Ala.), 2014
223 – Josh Collmenter,
Homer (Mich.), 2004
221 – Josh Gaitan, Charlotte, 2026216 – Will Robertson,
Falkner (Miss.), 2011
211 – Brandon Mims,
Prattville (Ala.), 2000
205 – Brad Kuntz,
Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 2010
203 – Dillon Crain,
Converse (La.), 2012
201 – Tyler Stovall, Hokes Bluff, 2008
200 – Rob Rasmussen,
Polytechnic (Pasadena, Calif.), 2007
Gaitan changed that narrative, however, with his performance at Charlotte this season. In 17 appearances, Gaitan has double-digit strikeouts in 13 of those games. His lowest total was four in an appearance that lasted only one and two-thirds innings.
In early March against Knippa, Gaitan struck out a season-high 21 batters and sat down 17 or more on five occasions.
"He gave up a hit in the third inning so he didn't have a no-hitter in that game," Charlotte coach Ethan Cain said of the 21-strikeout performance. "But around the fourth inning I realized that he had a strikeout for every out. I didn't say anything at the time, but he ended up with 21 strikeouts. It was something special."
Cain says that the reason for Gaitan's spectacular season is improved location along with added speed to his fastball.
"He was hitting about 83 or 84 miles per hour on his fastball last year, but now he is up to 88 or 89 consistently. He's put on about 15 pounds since last year," Cain said.
"He's also gotten better at locating his off-speed pitches. I call all of the pitches and last year I had to call a lot more fastballs when we needed a strike in order to keep his pitch count low," Cain said. "This year, I'm confident in his off-speed pitches and breaking balls to have him throw those when he needs a strike."
In addition to being the national leader in strikeouts, Gaitan is also the national leader in wins with 14. He finished with a 0.43 ERA while walking just 13 batters.
Gaitan was also been the team's leader at the plate. Heading into the Schulenburg series, he was batting .531 with 43 RBI, 41 runs, 17 doubles, eight home runs and three triples.
Despite his ability and success, college interest in Gaitan has been limited. He expects to play at two-year Palo Alto College in San Antonio next season to continue working on his pitching skills and hopefully reach the next level.
"We play in 2A, which is the second smallest classification in Texas and I think it's good that he is attending a junior college to continue to develop," Cain said. "But I'm confident that he would be a No. 1 or No. 2 pitcher at many of the large schools in the state."
Although Charlotte's playoff run came to an end, Gaitan's remarkable senior season secured his place among Texas high school baseball's elite. He not only rewrote expectations in the modern pitch-count era but also proved he can compete with the state's all-time greats.
