Wesley Chapel baseball coach Tripp Merrell spent the season looking for starting pitchers that would be ready for playoff ball.
He had one ace, Aiden Nguyen, and used a bevy of others during the season to find a No. 2.
Wyatt Nelson’s audition may have ended the search.
The senior righthander, who came into this season with only 19 innings pitched and started just one game this year, shut down Sebring on May 2 to vault the Wildcats into the region championship for the fourth straight year.
Nelson allowed just one hit in five innings, striking out a career-high five batters in a 5-0 victory. He received a rousing ovation from the fans and his teammates after a double play ended his final frame.
“It’s kind of an audition,” Nelson said, smiling. “You’re competing against your own guys, but you’re not wishing for them to do bad. This is where I wanted to be all season. So it feels good.”
Nelson opened with three perfect innings, and didn’t give up a hit until Sebring (20-7) mustered a half-swing liner into right field.
But Nelson left in a 0-0 game, as the Wildcats only mustered their own single hit through five innings.
Finally, in the seventh inning, the Wildcats (18-8) got to Blue Streaks ace Zach Huret. Right fielder Sean Roche singled and stole second, and walks to catcher Cole Ranchel and Nguyen, the DH, loaded the bases with no outs.
Josiah Guevara then hit a ball off the end-of-the-bat rubber toward first base, which somehow wriggled between the first and second baseman and scored a pair of runs.
“I thought it was getting through, personally,” said Guevara. “I was looking to drive it, but you know, just hit it and run and see what happens. Things happened.”
It was the second game-winner in less than 24 hours for Guevara. In the Wildcats’ May 1 victory in game one of the best-of-three series, it was Guevara’s third-inning single that gave the Wildcats a 4-3 lead as they coasted from there to a 13-3 win.
Looking for some insurance in game two, first baseman Zorre Wright followed Guevara with a high chopper that bounced over the first baseman and down the line, scoring two more runs, and Dylan Pabon’s sacrifice fly made it 5-0 heading into Sebring’s final at bats.
The Blue Streaks loaded the bases with no outs, but Nick Walters got out of the jam without any damage.
The Wildcats, looking to return to the state championship game for the second straight season, will now travel to No. 1-regional seed Winter Springs.
The Bears (23-5) beat Cypress Creek 3-0 and 7-2 in their series last weekend.
Winners of 11 straight games, Winter Springs boasts a trio of strong arms in Robbie Mungovan, Tripp Rosenberger and Tyler Kenast, who are a combined 18-0 with a sub-1.50 ERA.
Wesley Chapel beat the Bears in last year’s regional semifinals, dropping the first game in extra innings before rally to win the next two.