Lakewood Ranch Little League pitcher knuckles down

Mack Woolever flip-flopped over whether he felt pressure.

“No,” the 13-year-old said, then added, “Well, maybe it came on toward the end of the game.”

I can’t blame the kid. After all, he was in the midst of a playoff no-hitter.

Woolever, pitching for the Lakewood Ranch All-Stars in the District 26 Little League Tournament on June 30 in Palmetto, did indeed complete his no-hitter against Braden River. It was an all-around dominant performance, with Lakewood Ranch blanking Braden River 10-0 in five innings. Woolever did allow three walks, but struck out 12 batters.

The funny thing is, Woolever, a right-hander, isn’t primarily a pitcher. He’s a first baseman, with some experience behind the plate to boot. Sure, he’s dabbled on the mound in the past, but he never expected results like these.

In June, Woolever and his travel team, Team Manatee, played a tournament at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. They toured the Hall itself one day. Woolever’s favorite part is the room full of busts and plaques dedicated to all the Hall’s inductees.

There are currently 74 pitchers in the Hall, 33 of whom have thrown a no-hitter. It’s not an easy feat, no matter the level of competition. To do it in a playoff game, against a lineup full of an area’s best players? That’s preposterous. His father, Mike Woolever, does not think his son fully realizes his achievement.

“We didn’t realize what was happening until the third inning or so,” the elder Woolever said. “Only three kids made contact the whole game.”

Woolever said he models his game and manner on the mound after Detroit Tigers pitcher and former AL MVP Justin Verlander. He’s a power pitcher, Woolever said, as can be the Nolan Middle School student, who throws his fastball between 65-70 mph.

He also has great control, Mike Woolever said. His son throws both a four- and two-seam fastball, a changeup, an occasional curveball and a knuckleball, which Woolever said is effective 50% of the time.

During his no-hitter, Woolever said that knuckleball was the key to his success, keeping the Braden River hitters off-balance. He also credited Lakewood Ranch All-Stars coach Rich Clover with calling the right pitches at the right time.

After the game, Clover got the game ball from the umpire for Woolever. It’s a souvenir from a day he’ll cherish forever.

While this is Woolever’s greatest individual accomplishment, he has another baseball memory from 2015 that rivals it. His Manatee team that season won the Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series in Jonesboro, Ark.

His 2017 team didn’t see the same success. After Woolever’s no-hitter, the team lost to Buffalo Creek 11-6 on July 1 and was eliminated.

Still, Woolever said, throwing a no-hitter is a nice way to personally end a season.

“I think I’ll pitch more in the future,” Woolever said. “I want to, anyway.”

Gee, I wonder why?