MARIETTA,
Ga. – Ian Clarkin (2013, James Madison H.S., Calif.) notched three
base hits as the San Diego Show (4-0-1) defeated Baseball Parks of
America (0-4-1) 5-2 in a Monday evening pool M matchup at the 2012
WWBA 17u National Championship.
Clarkin’s
teammate, right-hander Michael Martin (2013, Cathedral Catholic H.S.,
Calif.) did his part as well, scattering seven hits in a seven-inning
complete game outing.
Be it
as a position player or a left-handed pitcher, competing at a high
level is nothing new for Clarkin, who verbally committed to the
University of San Diego as a sophomore in Dec. 2010.
In
June 2010, Clarkin attended his first Perfect Game event, the 2010
Sunshine West Showcase, following his freshman season at James
Madison. Standing at a six-foot-one, 160 pounds, Clarkin’s fastball
topped out at 84 mph while his changeup was clocked in at 76. One
Perfect Game scout remarked that Clarkin had a projectable body as
well as projectable velocity.
The
following summer, Clarkin continued to show progress as a ballplayer.
He added several miles per hour to his fastball, peaking at 88 mph at
the 2011 Sunshine West Showcase. Additionally, he later made his
presence known as a reliever in a 2011 WWBA 17u National Championship
first round playoff game against Team Mizuno Midwest.
Facing
a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning, Clarkin punched out
two straight batters to escape that pinch unscathed. In the next
frame, all Clarkin did was proceed to strike out the side. The Show
won 5-3 that day.
Near
the end of that summer, Clarkin also threw at the 2011 Perfect Game
National Games, earning Most Valuable Pitcher honors on his team.
After
his junior campaign at James Madison, Clarkin began a busy 2012
summer by attending the 2012 Sunshine West Showcase in the second
week of June. Yet again he showed improvement with his pitching,
leading one Perfect Game scout to note that the lefty “gets good
armside run on his fastball when it’s down in the zone.”
Only
a week later, Clarkin travled to Minneapolis, Minn., for the 2012
National Showcase, where Clarkin said he did not have his best
performance. Less than a week down the road, Clarkin earned some
redemption as he threw well enough at the USA Baseball Tournament of
Stars in Cary, N.C., to make the cut for the 40-man roster. In three
innings on the bump, Clarkin fanned five while walking one.
“I
did extremely well,” said Clarkin of his performance in North
Carolina last month.
Clarkin,
who now is listed at six-foot-two, 190 pounds, carried the positive
momentum into this month’s 2012 WWBA 17u National Championship. In
his first outing of the tournament on July 6, Clarkin got the
starting nod on the hill for his team and impressed, striking out 11
in six one-hit innings against the Middle Georgia Titans 2013s. A
Perfect Game scout said Clarkin “had good command and really knows
how to pitch.”
Now
ranked by Perfect Game as the number 42 prospect amongst class of
2013 high school players as well as number 10 in the state of
California, Clarkin sounded as firm as ever in his commitment to San
Diego following Monday night’s game.
“I
love the coaches to death; I get to play in front of my home fans;
campus is absolutely gorgeous; and the club is going to be heading to
Omaha, Neb., in two years,” said Clarkin, listing the reasons for
his pledge to San Diego.
A
member of the San Diego Show since his freshman year, Clarkin said he
is enjoying being a part of this summer’s team.
“Oh
man I love this team,” Clarkin said. “This is probably one of my
most favorite teams that I’ve been on. This tournament is exciting.
After our tie, we’ve absolutely just been creaming teams.”
Brian
Cain, the Show’s coach on Monday as well as the organization’s
founder, was effusive in his praise of Clarkin.
“On
the mound, he’s got the heart of a lion,” said Cain of Clarkin.
“He comes at you; he does not want to get beat; and he takes things
personal. He’s going to make it someday- barring injury- because
he’s got drive.
“He’s
always felt like there are some guys who are bigger, stronger and
maybe have a little bit more projectability than him, but he felt
like he was always to make up for that in work ethic. He is just a
workaholic.”
When
asked about his goals for between this tournament and June 2013,
Clarkin made it clear that he still has plenty of work to do to
continue getting better.
“Honestly
over the offseason, it’s all about working out,” Clarkin said.
“Working as hard as I possibly can because you only get to do this
a couple of times, and you don’t want to miss your opportunity.
From here to June is just going to be complete hard work, complete
focus and nothing else besides that.”