Pitch-count rule has cost Stanwood, ace Tiffany this season

Trey Tiffany has been simply dominating this season as the ace pitcher for the Stanwood High School baseball team.

The senior’s numbers are eye-popping — 48 strikeouts in 18 innings, with a 1.00 earned-run average (through April 12).

For Spartans coach Cody Bridgman, Tiffany’s overpowering performances have become almost routine.

“He’s 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, so he’s a man among boys out there,” Bridgman said. “We’ve taught him how to use that to his advantage. He’s got a presence on the mound. He takes a (dominating) mentality to the field every day.”

Tiffany, who will continue his career at Edmonds Community College, had an especially dominating mentality March 21, when he struck out 18 of the 22 batters he faced against Marysville Getchell to set a school record.

“He would tell you that he didn’t know he could pitch that well,” Bridgman said. “We teach our pitchers to find the hitter’s weakness, then use that (information) the next time up in a two-strike count. Trey’s adapted to that. Being a first-team all-conference catcher has helped him because he knows the strike zone. He’s a special player.”

Just about the only thing that’s stopped Tiffany so far this spring has been the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s new pitch-count rule. When a hurler reaches 105 pitches, he must be removed from the contest. In his record-setting outing against the Chargers, Tiffany was taken out of the game mid-batter with one out in the seventh inning and his team ahead 7-0. The Spartans went on to lose 8-7.

“That’s actually happened to us twice with Trey. (The rule) has cost us two wins. No one is more frustrated than him,” Bridgman said. “Our pitchers run five miles before they (take the mound). Their arms are in shape. (Trey’s) a high-pitch pitcher. He’s been throwing 120-pitch bullpens the last three weeks. He’s used to (a heavy workload).”