Trio armed, dangerous

Bishop Gorman's Taylor Cole established himself as one of the state's top middle infielders for three years.

But his emergence as a hard-throwing starting pitcher made Cole one of the state's most valuable players.

Cole, who helped the Gaels to their second consecutive Class 4A state baseball title as the team's No. 1 starter and cleanup hitter, was named the Class 4A co-Player of the Year by the Review-Journal and Reno Gazette-Journal.

Galena two-way star Eric Maupin shared the honor as player of the year.

Spanish Springs pitcher Mallary Darby was the state softball Player of the Year as the newspapers released their Class 4A All-State teams.

Cole batted .467 with five home runs and 52 RBIs this past season. But more than his normal strong work with the bat and glove, his performance on the mound made Cole stand out.

He posted a 6-1 mark with one save and had a 2.49 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 45 innings.

"His development as a pitcher was crucial for our state championship run," Gorman coach Chris Sheff said.

Cole hadn't been used much as a pitcher until the summer before his senior year. Playing for Gorman's American Legion team, Cole emerged as one of the team's top pitchers in helping the Gaels advance to the American Legion World Series.

"His first couple years here, we weren't so sure he was going to be a pitcher," Sheff said. "The problem was taking him away from the middle. It makes your defense a little weakened."

Cole developed quickly as a pitcher, and his velocity spiked. He can reach the low 90-mph range with his fastball, and Sheff said he sometimes hits the mid-90s.

"This summer we finally leaned on him hard and he just stepped up and became the guy," Sheff said. "It's been a quick progression."

That progression has made Cole, who has signed with Brigham Young, the state's top high school prospect for the major league baseball draft, which begins today. Sheff said Cole is a legitimate pitching prospect at the pro and collegiate levels.

"He's developed himself into a pitcher," Sheff said. "He's pitched in some big games and got a chance to pitch in the Legion World Series.

"He's matured as a young man and as a pitcher and put himself in a position where he'll be prepared to pitch at both of those levels."

Maupin also emerged as a two-way star this spring for the Grizzlies, who finished second to Gorman at state.

The 6-foot-5-inch right-hander was 11-0 with a 0.97 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 65 innings as Galena's top starting pitcher. As the team's cleanup hitter, he batted .457 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs.

"He's always been a good player, but this year he just blossomed," Galena coach Gary McNamara said. "There's no question he's one of the best athletes in the area."

Maupin doesn't throw as hard as Cole, instead pitching at about 86 or 87 mph. But McNamara said Maupin's height created an angle that made his pitches especially difficult to hit.

"He has an unbelievable downward plane," McNamara said. "The four years I've had Eric, I've never really seen him get hit. He has very late movement on his fastball. And even as of late he's been working on a cutter.

"It's unbelievable how much better he's getting even now after our season is over."

Maupin hasn't signed with a college, but McNamara said plenty have shown interest. McNamara said Maupin probably would sign after the draft when teams know which players and recruits will be going pro.

As good as Cole and Maupin were as pitchers, they couldn't match Darby for sheer dominance.

The Spanish Springs junior went 21-0 with a 0.34 ERA in leading the Cougars to the state championship.

Darby struck out 255 in 125 innings.

"She's been dominant for most of her career for us, but this year she took it to another level," Spanish Springs coach Jeff Davidson said.

Darby threw four no-hitters and was at her best in the state tournament, allowing just one hit in 15 innings with 34 strikeouts.

"Nothing rattled her, and she just believed every time she stepped into that circle that she was going to dominate," Davidson said. "She just had great preparation mentally."

Darby also had great stuff, with command of her rise ball, drop ball, curve and change-up to go along with a fastball that can hit 65 mph.

"Once she starts locating her pitches, she's very difficult to hit because you don't know what's coming," Davidson said.

Though only a junior, Darby has committed to play at UNR.