It was approaching 10 p.m. on June 22 and Gilbert baseball player Tripp Sturgill was thinking about taking a load off at his family’s pool.
He had just helped the Tigers sweep Racoon River Conference rival Adel-Desoto-Minburn in a doubleheader. Gilbert won by scores of 4-3 and 5-1, with Sturgill throwing 6 1/3 strong innings in the first game and then seeing his first action as a fielder in the second game when he occupied third base.
“After a good game like tonight, (we) might go out there and get a swim,” Sturgill said. “Some 3-vs-3 basketball. It gets intense.”
Sturgill more than earned some late-night pool time with his play this season.
Especially since early on, it did not look like he was going to get to enjoy much of his senior season.
The Central baseball commit suffered a hamstring injury to his right leg about one week before the season started. As a right-handed pitcher, it impacted the leg he uses to push off the mound, so he was kept off the field for two weeks.
“It was tough,” said Gilbert coach Jake Gaul. “We just wanted to make sure he was back to being fully healthy, especially with it being his push-off leg on the mound. For me, these guys’ health is more important than just a single season.”
Gaul was patient with Sturgill’s recovery. When it was determined he could return to action, Sturgill wasted no time showing he had made a full recovery.
Following his pitching performance against ADM, a game where he only gave up two earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks, Sturgill had only allowed four earned runs in 28 1/3 innings on the season.
He is a perfect 4-0 on the mound with an ERA of 0.99, which ranks 18th in Class 3A. He has accumulated 38 strikeouts against just seven walks.
Sturgill found his success as a pitcher not through velocity, but through the movement he can get on a baseball.
It took him some time to figure that out. He went 0-1 with a 6.81 ERA as a freshman and 0-6 with a 5.62 ERA as a sophomore.
But Sturgill turned the corner as a junior. He went 4-3 with a 2.48 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 14 walks in 36 2/3 innings.
This year, he has become one of the best pitchers in the RRC.
“I have two really good off-speed pitches,” Sturgill said. “I lean on my off-speeds a lot, but knowing that I can go back on a fastball and throw those all for strikes. My strike-to-ball ratio is really good, so that’s something I can lean back on.”
Sturgill has also become a force at the plate for the Tigers.
Through the ADM doubleheader, he leads Gilbert with a .378 batting average, .521 on-base percentage, .486 slugging average and 1.007 OPS. Sturgill has four doubles, six runs and nine RBIs.
“Shoutout to our hitting coach Jake Shedarowich,” Sturgill said. “He’s been really great with me all year. Staying confident and finding my pitch is something he’s talked to me a lot about.”
Sturgill’s outstanding play after coming back from injury has earned him some attention.
“If there’s one word to describe it – dawg,” said Gilbert catcher Ean Eldred. “He’s a dawg out there. He’s great for the team.”
It is also helping Gilbert win games.
The Tigers started off 1-3 without Sturgill. They have gone 10-3 since his return from injury.
“He’s starting to find himself more and more,” Eldred said. “He’s become a big leader on this team, and with that, we’re starting to win more and more games.”
Sturgill wants to continue to build on the success he has already achieved. In doing so, he can help Gilbert close out the season strong.
Sturgill thinks the Tigers have a chance to surprise people when substate play starts in July.
“Keep winning,” Sturgill said. “Stay strong, get into a position where we’re happy where we are in our bracket.”
Gilbert still has two games against RRC leader and No. 6 Carlisle, a game at No. 10 Ballard and a non-conference doubleheader versus 2A No. 2 Roland-Story ahead. If Sturgill and his teammates survive that gauntlet, they will have earned some extra time at the pool before the start of substate play.
That is perfectly fine with Gaul.
“I told them, especially you seniors; this is your last ride, last go-around,” Gaul said. “I want you to have a fun summer. Swim at the pool, hang out together — as long as you’re not getting in trouble, everything is good.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert’s Tripp Sturgill is one of the top Iowa HS baseball pitchers
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
