A.L. Brown baseball preview

John Tuttle will take the mound. Photo by Ronnie Gallagher, Salisbury Post.

Dylan May takes the mound. Photo by Ronnie Gallagher, Salisbury Post.

Wesley Honeycutt will carry a big bat this year. Photo by Ronnie Gallagher, Salisbury Post.

2010 A.L. Brown Wonder baseball team. First frow, from left: Steven Jackson, Frank Villa, Wesley Honeycutt, Ryan Hartsell, Chandler Hooks, Ryan Blackmon. Second row: Dylan May, Justin Kidd, Zach Wright, Zach Jones, John Tuttle. Third row: Michael Church, Tyler Gilmore, Alex Brandon, Zach Erwin, Spencer Falls, Tyler Freeze. Photo by Ronnie Gallagher, Salisbury Post.

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — On June 4, 1964, Sandy Koufax pitched his third career no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Koufax's co-ace Don Drysdale missed his buddy's gem against the Phillies. Drysdale had pitched the day before (tossing a four-hitter and losing in the 11th) and traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend to business concerns.

When Drysdale heard on the radio that Koufax had fired a no-hitter, his immediate response was, "Did he win it?"

That's how it was for the Dodgers in the 1960s, an offensively challenged club with superb pitching. The Dodgers had one .300-hitter in their lineup when they faced Minnesota in the first game of the 1965 World Series: Drysdale.

A.L. Brown's Wonders are rekindling memories of those long-ago Dodgers.

John Tuttle carried a perfect game into the seventh inning against SPC foe Jay M. Robinson on Friday and lost 1-0 on two boots and a bouncing single that found a hole.

In Tuttle, a right-handed senior, and junior left-hander Dylan May, the Wonders have a prep version of Drysdale and Koufax. Arguably, they're the best 1-2 punch in the area. Put May and Tuttle in Carson orange and you could make a run at a state title.

But May and Tuttle wear green and white, and exactly where the Wonders are headed is still up in the air.

Mount Pleasant is the favorite, but Brown could win the SPC championship. Somewhere between 60 and 90 percent of this game is pitching, and the Wonders have that part taken care of.

Brown is going to be involved in 1-0 and 2-1 league games. Enough 1-0 and 2-1 games to make calm coach Empsy Thompson a little crazy before this season is over. Brown's got to do the things the Dodgers did to win — bunt, steal, play defense, get clutch hits with two out.

"Our pitching definitely is our strength," Thompson said. "But we've got to play sound baseball behind our pitchers and we'll have to make things happen on the bases. I'm not gonna wait around if we're being anemic at the plate."

May and Tuttle both pitched in a 2-1 loss at South Rowan on opening day. May overwhelmed Raiders not named Maverick Miles for five innings, striking out nine. Tuttle took a loss on an unearned run in the seventh.

In its next outing, Brown managed just five hits against Salisbury in a 4-2 loss in which neither ace pitched.

Next, Tuttle dominated against Parkwood. Then May turned in a sweet 11-strikeout, two-hitter against Robinson.

With a chance to start 2-0 in the SPC and sweep Robinson, the Wonders managed to waste Tuttle's latest brilliant outing.

Tuttle and May are two of the team's top hitters, so they've also got to help themselves with their bats.

May, a smooth center fielder when he's not hurling, bats right-handed and usually will hit second in the lineup.

Tuttle, a right-handed power hitter, is the cleanup stick.

The only other proven standout is Wes Honeycutt, a fiery senior infielder with surprising pop. If Tuttle doesn't lead the team in homers, Honeycutt will.

The four-year starter will play second base if May pitches and shortstop when Tuttle moves from short to the mound. Honeycutt is a natural second baseman, but he handles short OK.

Thompson has an abundance of outfielders hoping to earn playing time. There's good speed in that group.

Juniors Quin Gill and Zach Jones enjoyed some varsity success last season. Jones is settling in at leadoff, playing left when Tuttle pitches and center when May is on the mound. Gill is ticketed for regular duty in right field and is an ideal No. 9 hitter.

Others in the outfield mix are Michael Church, Spencer Falls and Tyler Gilmore.

Senior Zach Erwin, a lefty swinger, or junior Alex Brandon will play first base.

Justin Kidd, a lefty hitter, has experience in the infield. Frank Villa will get some time at second base. Ryan Hartsell is expected to start at third.

The catching is in experienced hands with senior Zach Wright. He's got a strong arm that should shut down running games. He's also patient at the plate. He walked four times against Salisbury.

Junior Ryan Blackmon, a very good athlete, is going to be important. He's the third or fourth pitcher as well as the second catching option.

Tyler Freeze, Steven Jackson and Chandler Hooks provide depth. Freeze is a candidate for DH at-bats. All three are listed as infielders.

Potential pitchers in addition to May, Tuttle and Blackmon are Jones, Kidd, Brandon, Erwin, Freeze and Wright. Jones looked good in a relief stint against Salisbury — two Ks, one hit, no walks.

Thompson leads a braintrust that includes former Wonder slugger Daniel Smith, Landis legend Ken Orbison, former South and Davidson star Ronnie Shore and Brian Goodnight, who has assisted South's Legion team.

Thompson is in his 11th season as head coach of the Wonders. He entered 2010 at .500 — 129-129 — but it's not like any of his teams have been so-so. They've been either strong or weak.

Thompson's coaching run includes a 2002 NPC co-championship and NPC tournament titles in 2004 and 2005. He's coached four Wonders who signed pro contracts.

It's been rough for Brown the past four seasons (33-64) and the Wonders suffered through the toughest year of Thompson's tenure in 2009, when they went 6-17 overall and 5-11 in the SPC.

This year's team may not scale the heights of 2002, but if May and Tuttle stay healthy, the Wonders aren't headed for a repeat of 6-17.

The SPC has been totally revised. It's an all-Cabarrus league now, with saner travel and fiercer rivalries.

The SPC schedule is unique. Teams will play each other back-to-back by design.

"I like that a lot — it's a great way to determine a true champion," Thompson said. "I remember we faced Blake Ketner six straight times when we played Northwest Cabarrus, and Northwest faced Garrett Sherrill every one of those games. But if you play the same team twice the same week, you're going to see their No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers, and bullpens are going to be tested."

What's different about the Wonders is they don't have a No. 2. They're blessed with two aces.

But will they have to pitch no-hitters to win?