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Pitch and catch
By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER -- Something was missing. Despite winning 25 games in 2001, Crystal River lacked the true No. 1 pitcher it needed to make a run deep into the state playoffs. Enter Jimmy Metz. The right-handed ace transferred from Lecanto to Crystal River for personal reasons last summer and helped transform the Pirates into a Class 3A state championship contender. "He performed every single night at a high level," Crystal River coach Brent Hall said. No area pitcher was as consistent. Metz finished with a 12-2 record, 1.07 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 78 innings. He walked 31 and allowed 39 hits. His losses were to Class 6A regional finalist Pembroke Pines Flanagan and 3A state runner-up Bartow. Nobody else came close to beating Metz. "Jimmy is just a super player," Hall said. "And he's an even bigger competitor. He gave his heart to the team this year." Metz won two playoff games. In the first, a 10-0 regional quarterfinal victory over St. Augustine Bartram Trail, he tossed a two-hitter. The following week, he earned a complete-game win over Eustis in the regional final. "Jimmy came in and gave us a guy we could count on in big games," Hall said. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Metz, a Central Florida Community College signee, effectively used a fastball in the mid-80s (mph), hard slider and menacing change-up to baffle most hitters. His success revolved around the ability to use any pitch at any time and consistently hit his spots. Metz's lone subpar outing came against Bartow in the state semifinal at Legends Field in Tampa. "People can remember that one game if they want, but the people who know the game look at the whole body of work," Hall said. "Jimmy may not have had his best game at the final four, but the game before that he was awesome, and we're very proud of what he accomplished."
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