ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Sharts Gives Opponents the Short Shrift When He’s Not Hitting the Long Ball

Being a fearsome hitter makes Scott Sharts a fearless pitcher.

The Simi Valley junior has 13 home runs in two varsity seasons--a school record--and is batting .436 with seven home runs this season. That’s enough to put fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers.

But when Sharts takes the mound, he pitches good hitters the way he wouldn’t want to be pitched.

“Breaking balls, low and away and low and inside, are tough pitches for big, strong hitters,” Sharts said. “Then I can bust them inside or at the shoulders with a fastball and they might swing through it.”

Sharts’ big bat was fairly quiet last week during the Colonial tournament in Orlando, Fla. He was 4 for 14 and had no extra-base hits. Instead, Sharts starred as a pitcher, winning three games to tie a tournament record and lead Simi Valley to a third-place finish.

In 15 innings, Sharts did not allow an earned run and allowed only six hits. He pitched a two-hitter against Walton (Ga.) on two days’ rest.

“That game made me a better pitcher because I didn’t have my fastball,” he said. “I had to think about where to pitch to every batter.”

Sharts (8-1) has been a workhorse for Simi Valley, which is 16-2 and 6-0 in the Marmonte League despite minimal pitching depth. He has an earned-run average of 2.83 in 54 innings.

And when a team does score runs off him, Sharts just walks to the bat rack to even the score--he has allowed 22 earned runs and has 22 RBIs.