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Trenary's sacrifice makes him big hit
By KEITH NIEBUHR © St. Petersburg Times, published May 13, 2001 "He did what was best for the team," Crystal River coach Brent Hall says of the leader in the Pirates' 25-6 season. CRYSTAL RIVER -- Clayton Trenary has a strong bat, lively arm and good instincts. But ask Crystal River coach Brent Hall what made Trenary, a junior pitcher/outfielder for the Pirates, so valuable in 2001 and he will tell you that it was not so much Trenary's talent as it was his character. "Clayton showed from the very beginning that he was a great athlete and a great leader," Hall said. "He sacrificed for the team. "He's a great catcher. He's probably going to get drafted as a catcher next year, but he didn't catch a game for us this year because we needed him elsewhere. He did what was best for the team, and we needed him to pitch." In helping lead Crystal River to an area-best 25-6 record, the right-hander went 10-1 with a 2.33 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 57 innings. "I pitched pretty good in most of the games this year," Trenary said. Trenary threw a no-hitter against Springstead, one-hit South Sumter and went 2-0 against Dunnellon's Tommy Boss, who is headed to the University of Florida. Trenary's only sub-par outing came in the first round of the state playoffs, when he was saddled with a loss by fourth-ranked Alachua Santa Fe. "He's a tremendous competitor on the mound," Hall said. "His will to win gets him through situations sometimes. With his personality, people around him apply themselves a little harder when he's out there." On their own, Trenary's pitching statistics are enough to merit player of the year consideration, but he also was one of the area's top hitters, which helped him edge Hernando outfielder Dee Brown for the award. "Clayton was our go-to guy in all aspects," Hall said. "When you needed a big hit, he got it. On the mound, when you needed someone to come through, he delivered." Trenary hit an area-best .540 and had 11 doubles, 2 triples, 29 RBI and an on-base percentage of .622. His 21 stolen bases was another area-best total. "I improved a bunch hitting," said Trenary, who batted .320 as a sophomore. "There was more emphasis on hitting at practice (this season). You couldn't go into a slump because we hit so much in practice. I was satisfied in some ways, but wasn't in others. I wasn't much of a power hitter, and I got walked a lot. I need to work on my power." Trenary will attend at least one baseball showcase this summer, in which he will perform in front of numerous college and professional scouts. The 2000 Times All-Citrus/Hernando Football Player of the Year as a quarterback/safety also plans to attend football camps at the University of Florida and the University of Miami. Trenary is thought to be a major college prospect in both sports. At this point, he isn't sure which one will control his future. "I don't have the slightest idea," Trenary said.
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