ABILENE – Needing one out to move onto the state-semifinal, Wall baseball’s Kellan Oliver was again diving for a ball that chipped off Jacksboro’s bat in Game 2 of the Class 3A Division II Region I final. On the way to the ball, he narrowly avoided colliding with catcher Jack Jeys, who made the throw to first for the 4-3 win at ACU’s Crutcher Scott Field in Abilene on Thursday, May 21.
The lefty pitcher lay on the ground after tossing seven innings while only giving up one earned run and striking out six. Before getting up to celebrate with the team, Oliver let out a triumphant roar in a burst of raw emotion he had kept bottled all game.
“That’s just who Kellan Oliver is, man. He’s a dang warrior. He’s a dang competitor,” Wall baseball coach Jeremy Gordon said. “That’s what you’re gonna get out of him. He doesn’t know anything less than giving 100% – I mean, it’s not even 100%, he’s 150% all the time. He only knows one way to play the game, and that’s all out with max effort.”
Oliver finished covered in black scuffmarks, dirt and scrapes with ripped holes throughout his uniform. He spent a good portion of the game running off the mound to corral a loose ball from a bunt or an errant pass, even crashing into the wall near the opposing dugout earlier that game.
Despite tossing nearly 100 pitches and racking up countless bumps and bruises, Oliver was all smiles after the game.
“I love the battles like this, “Oliver said. “It makes me more locked in, more pumped up every time I get a batter out.”
In a pitching room filled with aces and four college baseball arms, Oliver has been locked in for the Hawks all season. Coming into the close-out game against the Tigers, he tossed a team-high 48 innings, only giving up 12 earned runs for a team-best 1.75 ERA. He also led the team with 70 strikeouts and a .307 on-base percentage.
“He’s a huge mental kid,” Wall second baseman Jacob Braden said. “I love his outward expression – his energy. He’s a really energy-driven kid, and he really takes that to the mound, and that really helps him up there.”
Gordon said during announcements ahead of Thursday’s matchup, he could sense Oliver was going to be at the top of his game.
“I was like, ‘Oh God, this is not going to be fun for anybody,’ because he just had that look,” Gordon said. “He has a tenacious attitude, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get from him. He’s a leader for us – he sets the tone by his actions, and he’s a vocal leader for us, too. I love that kid, and I’m very proud of him.”
Oliver, an Odessa College commit, transformed from a young star to a steady leader for the Hawks after starting on varsity throughout his high school career. As a freshman, he helped a promising young Hawks squad to the state championship game. The next year, he was on the mound and felt the pain of getting bounced in the second round to Iowa Park. Last season, his timely hitting and spot pitching propelled the team to its first state championship since 2019. Now in his final season, he’s back on the mound as Wall’s ace, looking to repeat as state champions.
“I mean, I love playing with my friends,” Oliver said. “I grew up with all these guys, and now in my senior year, this means a little bit more to me. The journey has been unbelievable. We’ve had the ups and downs. Our sophomore year, we were supposed to go to state, and last year we bounced back to win a state championship – and we’re about to repeat this year.”
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@gosanangelo.com. Follow him on X @Paul_Witwer, Instagram and TikTok at pwitwer_sast.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Wall baseball’s Kellan Oliver is a ‘warrior’ on the mound
Reporting by Paul Witwer, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
