Player of the Week: Mitch Farris

Player+of+the+Week%3A+Mitch+Farris

With high school baseball in full swing, Palm Harbor University has had some standout players. One of those players is junior pitcher Mitch Farris.

Mitch Farris has been on the PHU baseball team for all three years he’s been in high school. He began playing baseball when he was four years old but has also played other sports including football, soccer, and basketball. In high school he played both football and for the varsity baseball team. Last year, Mitch decided he wanted to put all of his focus on baseball.

“ I have good hand eye coordination which is essential for baseball. It requires a good blend of athleticism and intelligence to be good. It’s a team centered sport but also allows you to excel individually,” said Mitchell on why he chose baseball to be his sport.

That dedication to the sport has paid off this season, as he has started at both pitcher and center field for the Canes, along with being the lead off hitter. He has had very impressive stats all around this season. Batting on the season he 9 for 27, which is a .333 batting average. Of the nine hits he has so far, three are doubles and the other six singles. His on base percentage is .457.

Pitching is where Farris has really excelled so far this season. In the 15 innings he has pitched he has only given up 5 hits and 2 earned runs. He has an impressive 20 strikeouts to go with and outstanding .93 ERA which is the average runs a pitcher will give up in an inning.

His best game this season came during a 3-1 victory over Alonso High School, a team PHU has never beaten since they have been in the same district.

“ Coming into the game we wanted revenge on them. That is what fueled us through preparation and the game. We had to compete all seven innings and if i threw strikes and pitched well we could make the game close and win. I trusted in our coaches to prepare us well and my teammates would do their job on field and at bat.”

In the game he pitched all 7 innings and threw 6 strikeouts while only giving up 4 walks and 2 hits. The one run Alonso scored was an unearned run. Offensively he also ended up scoring a run for the Canes after the opposing pitcher gave up a walk with him at bat.

The PHU baseball team has had a rough stretch to start the season, but playing under tenured head coach Tom Hilbert and with players such as Farris and company there is still hope for excellence this season.