Pitching trio anchors ODA Thunder squad

LAKEWOOD RANCH — There was never any doubt in his mind that he was going to follow his older brother onto the mound one day.

The only question was where eighth-grader Austin Hoppe was going to play. Hoppe found the answer he was looking for this past summer when his brother, Zack Hoppe, a junior, decided to transfer to The Out-of-Door Academy from Lakewood Ranch.

Zack Hoppe, who led the Mustangs to a 4-2 victory over Braden River in the district semifinals last season, decided to transfer mainly for ODA’s academic program.

“I like it,” Zack Hoppe said. “It’s just a really nice school, and the baseball program is nice. I really like it overall. It’s a new start.”

While the team itself is smaller than Zack Hoppe had known at Lakewood, the competition itself has remained relatively the same.

“The level of competition is still pretty close,” Zack Hoppe said. “It’s been pretty competitive.”

The transition has been nothing short of a success for Zack Hoppe who is a perfect 2-0 on the mound for the Thunder this season. The right-hander has 14 strikeouts in 11 innings of work and maintains a .62 ERA with an opposing batting average of .175.

“I keep pretty high expectations for myself,” Zack Hoppe said. “I want us to be competitive. We have a great team, so hopefully it’ll be a great year.”

In addition to getting to know his teammates, Zack Hoppe is once again learning what its like to play on the same team as his younger brother.

Zack and Austin Hoppe grew up playing together on the same Little League baseball team until Austin Hoppe was 10 years old. At that point, the two brothers began playing in separate divisions; but Austin Hoppe knew he wanted to play with his brother again if given the chance.

That chance came earlier than expected for Austin Hoppe, who also made the Thunder varsity baseball team as an eighth-grader. And for Austin Hoppe, it’s been quite the learning experience.

“It’s actually been a really good experience,” Austin Hoppe said. “Since he’s older, he’s been able to help with stuff I need to critique.”

Austin Hoppe, who doesn’t have a decision this season, has a 0.00 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .053 batting average.

“I’ve got to say I’m a better pitcher because I’m the older brother, but he’s got a ton of talent,” Zack Hoppe said of his younger brother. “He’s going to be good when he’s older.”

Although Austin Hoppe got off to an impressive start on the mound, a shoulder injury has recently kept the left-hander from being able to throw. Austin Hoppe was scheduled to have an MRI on his shoulder March 9.
“My goal is to heal my arm and get up to being one of the top pitchers next to my brother,” Austin Hoppe said.

Zack and Austin Hoppe aren’t the only new additions to the Thunder pitching corps. Sophomore Alex Horan has also joined ODA’s starting rotation this spring after transferring from Lemon Bay.

“It was a godsend,” coach Mike Verrill said. “We got three new arms no one in the conference had seen before. They work hard, and they’ve done a really good job.

“All of the pitchers are doing a great job,” Verrill said. “I think at the end of the season — that’s when the pitching staff is going to matter. And hopefully we’ll be the top dogs at the end of it.”

The right-handed Horan is 1-0 this season with seven strikeouts in nine innings of work. So far, Horan has a 0.00 ERA and is holding opposing batters to a .129 batting average.

Horan, who began playing baseball when he was 7 years old, pitched for Lemon Bay’s junior varsity squad last season, but the experience wasn’t what he expected.

“I had all three of our wins,” Horan said. “It was kind of depressing.”

Looking for a better overall fit both athletically and academically, Horan decided to transfer to ODA, and he couldn’t be happier with his decision.

“It was hard (at first) because it’s so much harder here academically, but I love it,” Horan said. “It’s a lot better. The kids are so much nicer. I love it here.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].