Josh Bass, Bushland baseball, Jr.
On the diamond: As Bushland’s lone senior, it was appropriate that Bass came up the biggest at the perfect time for the Falcons in Saturday’s one-game playoff in the Class 3A region quarterfinal against Idalou at Sandie Field. Bass was called upon to deliver both on the mound and at the plate and he did exactly that as Bushland beat Idalou 5-3. Aside from a rough third inning, Bass was perfect on the mound, retiring all 15 hitters he faced in the other five innings to keep the Falcons afloat as they entered the seventh inning trailing 3-1. With the bases loaded and one out, Bass came to the plate with an opportunity to give the Falcons a big hit. He came through with the biggest hit of the year, doubling to left field to bring home two runs and tie the game. Brecken Adams then drove home the go-ahead run and Bass scored an insurance run on Jaxon Fetsch’s groundout. Bass gave up an infield single with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but got the final two batters to fly out and clinch the win, finishing a game where he threw only 81 pitches.
Coach Joel Love: “When they called time to talk to their pitcher I said ‘Who else would you want in this spot but No. 7 (Bass)?’ Everybody else in the dugout felt the exact same way. We do have talent but you still have to have a leader and I think that’s a pretty good word to describe Josh. He’s one of the hardest workers and that shows up in big situations. We talk to guys who are seniors that they have to lead those guys below you so when you get to that position they just fall in line with what you’ve done. Strikeouts happen, but when you can hit spots and locations you become a pitcher and not a thrower and that’s what Josh showed. He made those guys swing at pitches they might not have wanted to. Even in the inning when they did score runs they had a couple of seeing-eye singles. I was proud of him for not giving in.”
Bass: “I just knew that my team had my back. That helped me take some pressure off myself. I wasn’t trying to strike anybody out. I was just trying to get the ball in play and trust my teammates. That’s the best thing I can do. I wasn’t trying to blow past them, I was just trying to let them make contact with the ball. After the bloop hit they had to score those two runs it bothered me a little bit, but as I walked into the dugout I saw my team had hope. It motivated me to come in clutch on that hit. It was a surreal circumstance to be honest. It’s hard to remember the whole thing. I think once I got the hit and we tied it up the momentum was on our side of the field. It switches in the blink of an eye. It was the most satisfying game I’ve played in my high school career because of the circumstance.”
About Bass
Favorite band or musician: J.I.D.
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Mookie Betts
Bet you didn’t know: Is color blind.
Parents: Jim and Donna Bass
