Taylor Glaze!

Thanks Taylor for great memories and guiding my son Nick along, good luck in the future!!

In the days before the Class A state championship game, Tecumseh coach Dave Duncan asked a reporter an innocent, yet obvious, question.

"Do you think they'll throw the left-hander?" Duncan said, referring to upcoming opponent Central Catholic's choice of pitchers.

There was little chance the Knights weren't going to give the left-hander, Taylor Glaze, the ball at Victory Field in Indianapolis. Especially if Glaze had anything to say about it.

"I love those challenges," Glaze said. "I love big games. I love testing myself to the max -- just going in knowing you have what it takes to get it done, and you just have to go out there and do it."

More often than not, Glaze came through. For the second year in a row, he pitched Central Catholic to a Class A state championship.

While pitching the biggest games, Glaze solidified his status as Journal & Courier Small School Player of the Year.

"He's just a great player and a great pitcher," CC center fielder Scott Windler said. "We know when we put him on the mound, he'll do great things."

Glaze drew the starting assignment against the largest schools on Central Catholic's schedule. He also pitched the sectional final, the regional semifinal against Cowan and the semistate and state championship games.

That competition brought out the best in Glaze, who finished 10-2 with a 1.02 ERA and 83 strikeouts and 25 walks in 75 1/3 innings.

Glaze's offensive contributions were often overshadowed by his pitching exploits. Moved to No. 4 after starting the season as the No. 2 hitter, Glaze batted .395 with two home runs, 30 RBIs and a team-high 36 walks that accounted for 27 percent of the team's total.

"If the situation called for a bunt, or for a hit-and-run with the cleanup hitter, which we normally wouldn't do, we were able to do that with him," coach Tim Bordenet said. "It gave us some versatility and a lot of different options."

Glaze has not yet committed to a college program, but Bordenet said he expects that to be resolved within the next week.