FORT BRANCH, Ind. — Jake Mazzier finds a sense of relief each time he steps on the pitching mound.
It sounds simple. The last two years have been anything but for the Gibson Southern High School senior pitcher. Mazzier could count on one hand the number of varsity appearances, for one reason or another, he made prior to this spring. That’s why this season was finally a return to normal.
He’s making the best of his limited time, too.
Mazzier, a Western Kentucky commit, has been a breakout piece for one of the top teams in Southwestern Indiana approaching the midway point of the 2026 season. The senior allowed only one earned run through his first 21 innings to headline a deep Gibson Southern pitching rotation.
“It felt great just to be back and healthy,” Mazzier said. “Help out my squad. We’ve been doing well with a deep pitching staff this year. Glad to add onto it.”
Mazzier was a known commodity in local baseball circles. Why the lack of production?
He sat out most of his sophomore season due to limited eligibility after transferring. There were three appearances in May (eight strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings) as the Titans scratched out a 16-14 season. He expected to play a big role last spring until mounting discomfort in his elbow became too much. The diagnosis was a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). No surgery was required.
The bad news? Mazzier needed 12 weeks of rehab while adhering to a strict throwing program. Any misstep in the process could prematurely end his high school career.
“It was halfway to Tommy John,” Mazzier said, referring to the surgery, which typically requires 12 to 18 months of recovery time. “(The injury) happened in preseason, just in bullpens over time. Kind of felt it. We didn’t recognize it until the beginning of March.”
The Titans took a step forward with 22 wins and a co-Pocket Athletic Conference championship before losing in the sectional final. It did so largely without Mazzier, who, once cleared, threw 25 pitches against Mater Dei on the final weekend of the regular season. The right-hander allowed one unearned run with one walk and one strikeout in 2/3 innings.
It took him another two months before finding his groove. A precursor to what has been, by any measure, a successful start to his lone full season of varsity baseball. Mazzier is 4-0 with a 0.33 earned run average with 40 strikeouts in four starts heading into Thursday’s pivotal conference meeting against No. 10 Heritage Hills.
The skills are immediately noticeable. He pounds the zone with a 90-mile-per-hour fastball but can throw multiple secondary pitches for strikes. Mazzier also works quickly, bringing a necessary tempo for the defense to rely upon.
“He keeps hitters guessing on a pitch-by-pitch basis,” Gibson Southern coach Bobby Segal said. “Our defense stays locked in because he gets the ball back, gets a sign, and delivers strike one. His big strong point has been getting ahead of batters and having secondary pitches he can locate for strikes.”
The high point so far came on April 16. Mazzier went one batter over the minimum to toss a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 7-0 win against Mount Vernon. He followed that start with 12 punchouts and one hit allowed in five innings against Terre Haute North.
The only earned run allowed came against Forest Park – a home run via the first pitch of the game.
“I felt really good,” Mazzier said of the recent stretch. “Just being healthy and throwing 85 pitches. I filled up the zone and stayed consistent. I feel like a leader for those guys. I have more velocity for high school baseball and able to dominate with that.”
Mazzier has been the centerpiece of a deep pitching rotation. The Titans allowed only 12 earned runs through their first 12 games – juniors Brogan McClellan and Kolton Schmitt both had sub-1.00 ERAs, with the latter tossing a no-hitter against Princeton on April 23. Senior lefthander Cam Truxal (Olney Central signee) also has 21 strikeouts in five appearances.
It’s a good problem to have when Segal is struggling to find time for underclassmen to log innings.
“That’s probably our biggest strong suit this year,” he said. “Having some arms in our rotation that are going to consistently give us a chance to win. If we can put five, six, or seven runs up, then I think we’ve got a really good chance to win as long as we’re not sloppy on defense. We’ve got a special group of guys who are bought into playing baseball, playing hard, and winning days. I really do feel like the sky is the limit for them.”
Can the No. 6 Titans make a lengthy run in June? A fair question considering the pitching depth and a lineup that continues to improve with time. The immediate hurdles this week is Heritage Hills, a possible regional opponent should both advance. Gibson Southern is currently the lone undefeated team in the PAC (a game on April 28 at North Posey was postponed due to rain).
“I think we have to keep dominating like we are,” Mazzier said. “The pitching has been great. Our hitting has been (doing) very well. We need to stay consistent.”
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Why Jake Mazzier has been a breakout pitcher for Gibson Southern baseball
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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