Senior pitcher Sean Stewart tossed a five-inning perfect game to lead the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial baseball team to a 10-0 victory over visiting Marshalltown in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal on Friday. He struck out eight of the 15 batters that he retired.
Stewart has helped the Jaguars to a 29-10 record. He has compiled a 7-1 mark with a 2.03 ERA while racking up 62 strikeouts.
Stewart has played in 30 of the 39 games with 26 starts–most of them in the outfield. He is batting .231 with one double and nine RBIs.
Here is some inside info on Stewart:
Congratulations on the perfect game. Did you do anything special to celebrate afterwards?
After the game I went home and watched the rest of the Dowling Catholic vs. Ames game and got ready for whoever we play next.
Did you know that you had a perfect game going as the game progressed?
I knew I was throwing pretty well and was getting some good plays from my defense, but I wasn’t really thinking about a perfect game.
One of the unwritten rules of baseball is that you don’t mention a no-hitter during the course of the game, because you don’t want to jinx it. Did your teammates follow that code of etiquette?
My teammates didn’t say anything to me, but they said they were getting superstitious in the dugout.
I noticed that you were pretty subdued after you fielded a grounder and threw to first for the final out of the game. Did you not feel like celebrating with a fist pump or something?
As a senior who’s been in the postseason several times now, our goal is to really set the tone for the team and control our emotions and play as a team. My goal was to be businesslike and under control the whole game.
Marshalltown entered the game with a team batting average of .181, and you told me that you threw a lot of first-pitch fastballs. Did you feel like this was a lineup that you could be aggressive against and just go after the hitters?
We knew going into the game that we just needed to play our game. All week long our saying was, “Be you”. So that’s what I tried to do on the mound.
You only needed 43 pitches to get through the five innings. Did you even need to ice your arm afterwards?
After the game I did my normal post-pitching routine. I was trying to do everything I could to stay healthy and be ready for the game Wednesday.
How many different pitches do you throw? What are they?
I normally throw three to four pitches throughout the game: a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, slider and mix in some changeups to lefties.
Your teammate, Joey Oakie, is projected to be taken in the first few rounds of the MLB amateur draft that began on Sunday. Are you planning to watch the draft?
I will definitely be watching the draft this weekend.
How do you think Joey has handled all the distractions? Does he talk much about it?
Joey has been outstanding with his whole draft process. It’s been impressive to see him handle all the pressure and attention that has come with this season. Joey’s been pretty quiet about the whole process. He’s done a great job of staying in the moment and being a team player despite all the other very important things going on for him.
Your team will host Des Moines Roosevelt or Dowling Catholic in the substate final on Wednesday. Does it matter to you which team you play?
We’ll definitely go watch the game Monday, but it doesn’t matter who we get. They’ll have to come into our home field and take us down at our best.
You have committed to play for Iowa Central in the fall. Did they recruit you primarily as a pitcher, or do you think you’ll have an opportunity to be a two-way player?
At Iowa Central I’m going to be a (pitcher only), but I’ve heard we’ll be getting to take a round of (batting practice) once a week.
