Stillwater Pitchers, Best Friends To Remain Teammates In College
STILLWATER, Minn. (WCCO) – It's not often you get an ace so good a college national champion recruits him to play baseball. At Stillwater, they have two such prospects.
Will Frisch and Drew Gilbert have been best friends since they were 10, led the Ponies to a state title last year and next year will play together for the defending national champs.
A year ago, they struck gold. Stillwater won a state baseball title.
"It was great winning the state title, just bringing it back. I think it brought our guys closer together from last year that returned and kept the momentum rolling," Frisch said.
This year, they are back because they have one of the greatest 1-2 pitching punches in Minnesota maybe ever – Frisch and Gilbert.
"I mean, we've been best friends since we were 10, and having him by my side, someone who has helped me along the way – I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without him," Gilbert said.
"We just push each other, we compete against each other, and I think that's why we're as good as we are. We found two guys that love to work hard, love to compete," Frisch added.
Working hard is their trademark, what separates them. They knew what they wanted and they had a plan to get there.
"Drew and Will, since their freshman year, have outworked any kid I've ever seen – just in the weight room, they're throwing routines, their days off are just different, they're on a diet. They are committed 100%," said Mike Parker, Stillwater head baseball coach.
They are teammates and they will be teammates because they both have scholarships at defending national champion Oregon State.
"I told him in ninth grade, I was like, 'Hey, Oregon State's my dream school, they got a great pitching coach, it's a cool program, kind of like the Pacific Northwest.' And both of us weren't really thinking on college, just kind of doing like a dream thing. I didn't think I'd actually go there," Frisch said.
Gilbert is a left-hander, not big in stature, but he's got stuff. He can flat-out run through a roster with his velocity and his movement. It bears a striking resemblance to a former Stillwater pony. Yes, this is where Glen Perkins cut his teeth. They honor him on the fence and the comparisons to Gilbert are unavoidable.
"I was just thinking about trying to compare where he's at compared to Drew and, you know, I coached Glen in high school and Glen had a true curveball," Parker said. "He was a great pitcher and great competitor, and that's the part that I see in Drew that's really like Perk is they both compete when they get on the mound."
"He's definitely someone I've looked up to my entire life being a Twins fan growing up. Again, someone who's left-handed and we went to the same high school, he's definitely someone I use as a model I can try and make my game after," Gilbert said.
This team has done what has been expected – dominated a difficult schedule. That puts them on schedule to take another run at another state title.
"But now I think that we're at the playoffs and their last season together, I really have seen something different where they're just letting down their guard and doing whatever it takes to win now," Parker said.
And next week is also the professional baseball draft. That's a lot to think about going forward in a good way.
"Obviously, I would be lying if I said it wasn't on my mind, but I'm just trying to keep my focus where it should be and that's trying to defend the state championship," Gilbert said.
