CALEDONIA — Jorden Hollowell hoped to be a starting pitcher this season.
Coming off a sophomore year in which he logged 7 1/3 innings for the Caledonia High School baseball team, Hollowell wanted to play a bigger role as a junior in the 2015 campaign. As much as he hoped to see more innings as a pitcher, Hollowell, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound right-hander, wasn’t sure how much work he was going to have to put in to realize that goal. He figured it would take a while in part because he was switching from a sidearm delivery he used as a sophomore back to the overhand motion he had used prior to last season.
But Hollowell has found his comfort zone moving back to the more traditional pitching mechanics. As a result, he has carved out a key role in the Confederates’ pitching rotation. Last week, Hollowell earned two victories for Caledonia (8-5), including a 10-strikeout effort in a victory against Kosciusko on March 24.
For his accomplishments, Hollowell is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“I just felt like I threw better overhand and I felt like I could help the team more if I went back overhand instead of sidearm,” Hollowell said. “(Throwing sidearm) was fun. It was something I have never done before. It felt good for a while, but it wasn’t something I like to do as much.”
Hollowell said he felt restricted to the stretch position throwing from “down under,” which he felt limited the effectiveness of his curveball and affected his velocity. Hollowell has made the most of the move back to his overhand delivery by starting the season 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA in six games. He has allowed only 11 hits and two earned runs in 17 innings. He has walked 10 and struck out 29.
Last week, he struck out three in one inning to get the victory against Noxubee County. Against Kosciusko, he pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up one earned run and walked three in his longest outing of the season.
“My coaches and teammates keep me on track and don’t let me play around and make sure I do what I need to do when I am out here,” Hollowell said. “I just try to hit my spots and let them hit the ball and let my fielders do the work. Sometimes I go for strikeouts, but I try not to.”
Last season, Hollowell went 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA in six games. He surrendered nine hits, walked seven, and struck out 14.
Caledonia coach John Wilson said he asks his pitchers every year if any of them want to try throwing sidearm. He said Hollowell handled the adjustment well. He also said Hollowell didn’t have a problem switching back prior to the start of this season.
Wilson said Hollowell’s focus is improving every game. He referred to the game against Kosciusko when he had to take a trip to the mound to talk to Hollowell after he walked the first two batters of the inning. When he arrived, Hollowell told him not to worry because he was fine and that he had lost his focus.
“He is throwing really well,” Wilson said. “He has improved a little bit each week. I want him to throw 65-70 percent strikes in a game.
“He is a good kid. He is a smart kid. He understands when we try to tell him something. He is just improving on everything because he is picking up more as he goes along. The more you do anything, the easier it becomes. He is a smart enough kid that he can figure it out.”
Wilson also said Hollowell is doing a better job throwing first-pitch strikes, which enables him to have confidence to call any of Hollowell’s pitches to help him keep hitters off balance. While that percentage can get even better, Wilson has noticed a change since the beginning of the season.
“Last year, we just used him in the seventh inning,” Wilson said. “Last year when the season was over, he said he’d like to start, if he could, so in the summer we got him back to throwing over the top and told him we would see how it goes.”
Hollowell said he tries to “zone in” and focus simply on the catcher. He said he doesn’t think about anything and only tries to clear his head to stay composed. His goal is to improve his first-strike percentage and to keep his focus on the mound. If he does those two things, he feels he will play a role in the Confederates’ run to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State playoffs.
“I don’t think I am the best out there, but I think I am doing pretty good,” said Hollowell, who plays right field when he isn’t pitching. “I want to hit the spots like coach (Wilson) tells me more and to throw around the area he tells me because he knows what he is doing.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino in Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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