While the numbers being put up by Mason Wisnieski are not unexpected, they sure are impressive. On April 8, the all-stater from Malcolm pitched a complete-game, seven-inning shutout at Lincoln Christian during which he struck out nine while walking none. He did it all with just 82 pitches—fewer than 12 per inning.
The Hutchinson CC commit also drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a first-inning single. He later hit a triple in the top-ranked Clippers’ 3-0 win over the No. 3 Crusaders.
“Mason did an amazing job on the mound,” Malcolm head coach Zach Wehner said. “He was confident in hitting his spots. He was feeling it.”
In Malcolm’s 10-0 home win over DC West on April 11, Wisnieski went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a game-ending home run.
“Since his freshman year, Mason has consistently been our most feared batter,” Wehner said. “This year, he’s being very patient as he waits for his pitch. His confidence to run the count to two strikes has been paying off.”
Wisnieski’s .595 batting average puts him second in the category in Class C. He leads the class in RBI (24), home runs (3), and earned run average (0.00).
Joining Wisnieski as a state leader in earned run average is Cayden Robotham. The senior has come on this season to help fill vacancies left after last year’s seniors graduated. In his five appearances, Robotham has yet to allow an earned run while fanning 13 and collecting three wins.
Robotham pitched an inning of relief against DC West and struck out the side.
“Cayden worked really hard this offseason and it paid off,” Wehner said. “He has more command and is a lot more confident on the mound.”
Malcolm carries a 12-1 record into this week’s Trailblazer Conference Tournament. As the top seed, the Clippers hosted Platte Valley (4-8) on Monday and won 15-4. Malcolm defeated Platteview 6-0 in the semifinals and was to play Wahoo/Bishop Neumann Thursday, April 17, in the championship game.
“Though we’ve won the last two state championships, we’ve never won our conference tournament,” Wehner said. “It’s something we want to get done this year. I think this is one of the most competitive conference tourneys in the state.
“As much as we want to win, we will still keep a close eye on our pitchers. We don’t want to risk injury to win this one and then hurt our chances to win the big one in May.”
Trailblazer Conference Tournament games all have a 5 p.m. scheduled start.
