OKEECHOBEE — There’s one word to describe Carsen Williams’ effort on the mound Friday: untouchable.
The Okeechobee High senior was nearly flawless in lifting the Brahmans baseball team to its second consecutive district title. Striking out 14 batters, Williams tossed a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 victory over Sebastian River during the District 13-5A Final on Friday, April 17 from Okeechobee High School.
He threw 110 pitches, scattering three hits and a walk in an overwhelming performance
“He’s a dog, he’s been a dog since game one,” said Brahmans head coach Eric Kindell, who has won six district crowns with the program. “He’s looked like that his last six outings and it’s just been impressive. … He’s just done the job. I expected nothing less from him and he gave me exactly what I thought I was going to get.”
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Williams retired eight Sharks in a row on two separate occasions.
He finished his night with a flurry, fanning the side in the top of the seventh inning. The right-hander allowed a leadoff single to Corbin Knotts before punching out Glenn Truex, Preston Mer and Jordan Landers, sparking a celebration that started with Williams flinging his glove to the sky before being mobbed on the infield.
“It’s exciting. I’ve played with these boys since I was six years old,” Williams said. “Just knowing that it’s coming down to this, my last districts I’ll ever play in my high school career. I know I’ve gotten to do it with the guys that I’ve grown up with.”
Williams received all the run support he needed in the second.
After Braden Lineberry singled off Sebastian River starter Jamison Jones to open the frame, Brad Phillips reached on an error to put runners on the corners with no outs for Mason Kindell. The senior designated hitter broke the seal on the game with a ground ball that went through the shortstop and third baseman. Levi Larson immediately followed with a two-run single to center while an opposite field single from Cayson Crawford made it 4-0.
“I got the hit between the 5-6 hole. It just kept going from there. We got the momentum going,” Mason Kindell said.
Okeechobee (17-6) tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth. Izaak Alanis drove in Landon Hall from second base after lifting a fly ball that dropped just inside the right-field line for a double. Alanis later scored on an error.
Jones went the distance for the visitors, relinquishing six runs on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.
“Jamison did great. He’s grinded all year,” Sharks first-year head coach Bryan Augenstein said. “He threw a perfect game this season and was part of another no-hitter. It was not his best stuff tonight, but he battled through it. … Go out there and compete is all I ask for and that’s what he did.”
Here’s three takeaways from Friday night.
‘Been on the same page all year’
Williams gave up a single to the first batter of the night. He followed that by inducing a groundout before collecting four straight strikeouts. It was at that point the Brahmans ace knew he had his good stuff.
Equipped with a fastball that tops out at 88 miles per hour, Williams got swings and misses by attacking the strike zone with it or elevating it. When he sensed hitters were getting a handle on the fastball, the senior froze them with nasty, knee-buckling curveballs and sliders while occasionally firing in a changeup or cutter.
“A couple of (hitters) were hitting the fastball, but nothing too hard that my defense couldn’t handle,” Williams said. “I just kept throwing until they really hit it hard, which happened maybe once.”
With full command of his arsenal, Williams also dictated when to throw his pitches, at times shaking off his batterymate and the call from the dugout. Shaking off pitches at the high school level isn’t terribly common, but Eric Kindell trusts his top pitcher.
“I’ve been coaching him since he was eight years old, so he’s actually family,” the head coach said. “My mindset to him is I’m going to give you what I think is the best suggestion. If you feel like something feels good to you, I want you to go with it. … We talked about some things, setting up the pitches that’s going to make the next pitch better, but we’ve been on the same page all year.”
There’s been very good reason to trust Williams. He holds a 0.37 ERA with 55 strikeouts, 11 walks and a .113 opponents batting average through 38 innings pitched. The senior is also the team’s No. 3 hitter, batting .415 with seven doubles, two triples and 10 RBIs.
Williams missed five games due to a foot injury, but has remained in the zone through his final year in a Brahmans uniform.
‘It was a little crazy’
The district title game marked Mason Kindell’s return to the Okeechobee lineup after being sidelined for a month.
The senior, who is usually the team’s catcher, took a line drive to the face while pitching against IMG Academy on March 17. He suffered four orbital fractures, but was cleared to play this week.
“When it first happened, it was a little crazy. I didn’t think I would be able to come back and play the rest of the season, but it healed really fast. It worked out perfectly,” Mason Kindell said. “I was a little nervous going into it. But once I got into the game, I got the adrenaline going and it was fine. I didn’t think about it after that.”
Eric Kindell, Mason’s father, added: “For him to be able to come back tonight and step up, that was awesome.”
Crawford has taken over the catching duties. The freshman produced a game-high two hits on Friday. He is part of an underclassmen foursome that’s anticipated to contribute in the coming years. That group includes Larson, a sophomore outfielder, sophomore second baseman Landen Marsocci and freshman infielder Manny Pereira.
“The better they got, the better we got,” Eric Kindell said. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link. To have four young players like that, and there’s quite a few more right behind them that were on the bench today, the future is bright for Okeechobee baseball.”
‘Why not us’
Of the six runs Jones allowed, only three were earned. That was due to a defense that was hot and cold.
Julius Lewis delivered a sparkling barehanded stab and throw to end the first. However, inaccrutate throws were frequent during a five-error night.
“It’s baseball, stuff like that happens,” Augenstein said.
Sebastian River (10-10-1) entered district with losses in five of its final six regular season games. The team recovered by scoring 19 total runs in wins against Fort Pierce Westwood and South Fork.
The Sharks were on the bubble for the state playoffs. They were ranked seventh in Region 4-5A and fourth among teams vying for an at-large berth. If they get in, Augenstein is confident that his team can regain its form and be a dangerous out.
“If we make regionals, that’s awesome,” he said. “We’re going to take the good, hot streak that we’ve been on and keep with it. Any opportunity we get, don’t count us out. My motto is ‘Why not us?’”
The Brahmans were ranked fourth in the region and will likely host a regional quarterfinal on Friday, April 24.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Carsen Williams’ 14-strikeout shutout wins district title for Okeechobee
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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