MULBERRY — With the regional tournament now the best-of-three games for the first time, Mulberry coach David Gotauco’s pitching strategy was simple: He wanted his ace out there in the first game each round to set the tone.
That meant Gavin Stedman — and the Mulberry senior right-hander more than handled the challenge.
Stedman was dominant in all three starts as the Panthers won each series to advance to the state tournament for the second year in a row.
Gotauco will need one more such effort from Stedman to get Mulberry (26-9) into the championship game. Stedman will take the mound against Tampa Jesuit at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 19, in the semifinals of the 2025 FHSAA Class 4A Baseball State Championships at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
To say that Stedman was dominant in the regional playoffs isn’t hyperbole. In fact, it might be an understatement. He went 3-0 with a 0.97 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. He never allowed more than three hits or two earned runs in a game. The win over Bishop Moore in the regional finals was especially big.
“Game one was huge,” Gotauco said. “We had to get that and we had to go with our best. He overperformed in each event and we gave him some run support, which was nice, especially that first game when we went up 9-2. We knew we had to go with our guy game one. This kid, his record, I think, is 5-2, 6-2, or whatever it is, but it really doesn’t reflect on what he’s done this year. He’s done so much more than that, especially on the end stretch.”
Stedman knew early that it could be a good outcome against Bishop Moore.
“I went through the first inning, I was not stressed at all because they were not touching the fastball,” he said. “I threw not many sliders that game. I just did what I had to do with the fastball, and I was challenging to see if they could catch up. They never did.”
For the season, he is 5-2 with a 1.82 ERA. He has three no-decisions in three appearances.
Stedman understood the importance of winning that first game.
“We got the win all of them, starting off that first game, and keep the momentum moving,” he said. “So if you win that first game, you go into that next game, ready to win and ready to just sweep the team.”
This is Stedman’s first season at Mulberry after two years at Santa Fe Catholic where he was a two-time, first-team all-county selection. He went 14-3 with a 1.41 ERA with the Crimson Hawks.
“I’ve been friends with these kids since I can remember,” Stedman said of his Mulberry teammates. “It’s just a family. I’m having a lot more fun. I’m enjoying everyone. I enjoy being around everyone.”
Mulberry returned a large core from last year’s Final Four team, but lost pitching as senior Alex Fischer and Noah Campbell graduated. Stedman’s arrival certainly filled a hole.
“It definitely gave us a lot more depth for sure,” Gotauco said. “I mean it was huge, especially with Justin Williams getting hurt. That was rough. So having Gavin, it just solidified our pitching with a guy who can compete and a guy that — he’s got a lot of heart and he really competes with everything.”
Stedman was a more of a third baseman when he started playing baseball, and though he didn’t start pitching until he was about 12 years old, he relishes having the ball in his hand on the mound.
“When I’m on the mound, it’s my game and you’re going to go at my pace,” he said. “I’m in control of the game when I’m pitching, so it’s one thing I really like about pitching.”
Even with the success of previous years, Stedman has gotten better this season. He said he improved his velocity on his fastball and his control with his fastball and slider has improved.
Gotauco sees an even bigger improvement elsewhere, and the Panthers’ pitching depth has helped.
“I think it’s the poise and the confidence,” he said. “I think his confidence this year is on a whole other level. All year, he didn’t have to be the guy, which was a nice setting for him because it takes the pressure off. We’re pretty deep in pitching with JJ (Sweeney), (Griffin) Cline. They stepped up. So a lot of kids stepped up to where he didn’t really have to ego pitch much during the year until the playoffs, which was nice because you get them fresh.”
Stedman and Cline are leading the team in innings pitched, just a third of an inning apart.
It’s on the mound where Stedman is most valued, but in the Bishop Moore series, his bat also started to come around. He was in an 0-for-13 slump that saw his average drop nearly 40 points but he ended the slide with at least one hit in each game and went 4 for 7.
“It’s part of baseball,” he said. “I was in a slump, and every day trying to fix it, but I’m good as long as I can help my team in some way, as long as I can contribute on the mound.”
And that’s where he’ll be needed against Jesuit.
“We’re pumped,” he said. “We’re ready to get the job done.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Mulberry pitcher Gavin Stedman dominant in regional playoffs, aims to do it one more time at state
Reporting by Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
