ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: TOMMY STIDHAM

Tommy Stidham

School: Chaffee

Sport: Baseball

Coach: Brian Horrell

Week Report: Tommy Stidham defined the word "Gamer" last week. Stidham pitched at least one inning in all three of Chaffee's wins as the Red Devils won their eight-team baseball classic 3-1 over Shawnee, Ill. Twice in the tournament Stidham struck out the side with the game on the line in the bottom of the seventh. Add his tournament performances with a seven-inning shutout of Scott City last Monday and the 5-foot-6, 145-pounder had an unbelievable week. In all, Stidham pitched 16 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out 28 batters during that stretch and walked only two while allowing 10 hits.

Season Report: Stidham struggled in his first outing of the year. At less than 100 percent, he was rocked by Cape Central in one inning of work, but has been slicing down his earned-run average ever since. Stidham is also one of the area's top leadoff batters who seldom strikes out, takes a lot of walks and steals a lot of bases. Stidham has struck out an amazing 52 batters this year and is a huge reason why Chaffee has gotten off to a 12-4 start and is ranked eighth in Class 2A.

Coach's Comments: "It was something else," said Horrell of Stidham's work last week. "He's always the guy when the situation gets tight there's no one else you'd rather have out there. He's a good student, a good leader and does anything you want him to do. He wants to do whatever it takes to win. I think he's got a nasty curve and his fastball gets better and better with every game. But his curve has been real nasty."