Pfannenstiel delivers key hit in return to lineup
By CONOR NICHOLL
Hays High School baseball coach Frank Leo said the Indians "tested the waters" Tuesday with senior first baseman/designated hitter Taylor Pfannenstiel.
Pfannenstiel, bothered by knee injuries that will require post-season surgery, returned to the field Tuesday in a 7-0 win against Dodge City at HHS Field. Pfannenstiel was the DH and batted cleanup, his first action since before the Western Plains Diamond Classic last week.
He finished 1-for-3 and had trouble running around the bases. However, his hit was a key first inning single that gave HHS 1-0 lead and helped start a four-run first.
"We are so close to the end of the season and it is his senior year that he wants to try and play through some pain with limitations," Leo said. "We are not going to push him past what he can't do. I have been in contact quite a bit with his dad and we have talked about things."
Leo said Pfannenstiel's status for Thursday's rain makeup against Dodge City and Friday's road doubleheader versus Liberal is uncertain. Hays High (13-4, 4-1 Western Athletic Conference) will open the playoffs next week.
"We have to keep evaluating day-to-day," Leo said. "We are going to go as far as we can with limitations. Maybe we don't play him at all Thursday or Friday and just wait for sub-state next week."
Pfannenstiel, the team's leader in doubles, homers and RBIs entering last week's Classic, tweaked his left knee earlier this season. According to Leo, Pfannenstiel has a bone chip and a torn ligament underneath his right kneecap.
"There is a little surgery in there that we need to repair, I don't think it is a major surgery, if it is a surgery that we did, it would probably set him back three, four or five weeks," Leo said.
Pfannenstiel, though, will try to play as much as he can. At practice, Pfannenstiel took batting practice, simulated coming out of the box and shuffling and running on the basepaths. Leo said Pfannenstiel "felt OK" in these drills, but thought a real contest could be different.
"Get in a game situation and you want to turn it up a little bit more, you can feel it," Leo said.
That happened against Dodge. In the first inning, Pfannenstiel delivered a two-out single to center that scored senior Matt Malott with the game's first run. However, Pfannenstiel couldn't run at full speed to first base. Senior Austin Klaus singled to right and Pfannenstiel moved to second. On a single to left-center by senior Justin Klaus, Pfannenstiel went just to third.
"Obviously, when he got to first base, that he just couldn't turn it up," Leo said. "When he got to second base, and it went to left center, I could see him start up, you could see the look in his face, there is some pain."
Junior Ross Karlin has taken Pfannenstiel's place at first base the past few games. On Tuesday, Karlin made an error on a ground ball down the line and missed a throw in the dirt. Karlin, though, did have some scoops late in the game. Karlin will play the majority of time at first, though Leo said junior Logan Downing could see some time.
"He had a couple of nice digs," Leo said of Karlin.
