Orange County Prep Player of the Week : Wilson’s Got Craftiness Down to an Art Form

Not many batters know what to think when they step up to the plate to face Mike Wilson of La Quinta High School.

Wilson, a junior, has the body of a chopstick and the mind of an illusionist--he’s stick-thin and very crafty.

Too crafty for some, particularly last week.

Wilson, The Times’ Player of the Week, pitched his first varsity no-hitter in a 6-0 victory over Santiago Wednesday. He struck out four, walked none and drove in two runs.

Friday, Wilson came in during the sixth inning, retired Santiago’s best hitter--Ricardo Gallardo--then struck out three in a row to ensure the Aztecs’ 7-5 victory.

“The young man kept us completely off-balance,” said Myron Pines, Santiago’s coach. “He moved the ball inside and outside. Our batters kept coming in saying they never really got a good pitch to hit. The ones they got were off the handle or the end (of the bat). He’s deceptive when he pitches. His windup is slow and deliberate, but then he’s got good arm speed.”

It wasn’t always this way for Wilson. In Little League, he tried to overpower hitters. And he was a perfectionist who let his temper get the best of him at times.

“Mike was intensely competitive as a kid,” said Dennis Wilson, his father. “He never got mad at others if they made mistakes, but shouldered all the blame if his team lost. He threw helmets and kicked bats and other things--even if he had a good game. It was like he had to be perfect.”

Perhaps Wilson learned this behavior from his older brother Steve, whom Mike watched rip his baseball cap to shreds after the loss of a Little League game when Mike was 5.

Or maybe it had to do with his mother, Maria, who said she became so upset with her poor bowling streak seven years ago that she quit the sport.

“Mike probably picked it up from me,” Maria said. “I was a good bowler, but when I bowled, I only bowled to win. I finally had to stop because of it. Mike put the same pressure on himself. . . . he never thought he should lose.”

When he entered high school, Wilson’s attitude changed. Dennis Wilson said his son’s exposure to the older, varsity players helped him mature. His mother said he finally learned that he was not the sole, controlling player on a team.

Wilson has a different theory.

“Basically, I decided that throwing things wasn’t too bright--you could hurt somebody,” Wilson said. “But really, when our coach (Dave Demarest) told us that in high school, 7 out of 10 times you’re going to fail (at bat), I realized it was true for pitching too. You can’t always be perfect. I had to out-think people instead.”

That thinking includes some off-speed pitches, a few knuckleballs and curves--all of which are used at times others might consider too risky. Like his habit of throwing a breaking ball on a 3-0 count.

“I use my mental abilities as much as possible,” Wilson said. “I do little things to try to fool them. At Los Al (Alamitos), the coach thought he had my signs down. He was watching which way I tipped my mitt. But that had nothing to do with my pitch, so I started tipping it every which way.”

This season, Wilson is 11-1 with three saves and has a 1.58 earned-run average (0.32 in Garden Grove League play). As the eighth man in the lineup, he’s batting .318. La Quinta is 11-0, 19-2.

“Mike’s not a big, macho-looking guy. He’s 5-11 and almost 155,” Demarest said. “If you see him, he’s still a baby-looking kid. And thin. We joke that we’re going to make him wear a couple of extra shirts and put some of those girls’ shoulder pads on his shoulders. But his big secret is his intelligence. He’s sneaky and fast. The bottom line is that he throws strikes.”

Mike Wilson La Quinta High School Position: Pitcher Height, Weight, Class: 5-11, 150, Jr. Last Week: Wilson threw his first varsity no-hitter in a 6-0 victory over the Cavaliers Wednesday. He struck out four and drove in two runs. Friday, he came in during the sixth inning, retired Santiago’s best hitter--Ricardo Galardo--then struck out three in a row to finish off the Aztecs’ 7-5 victory. Season: Wilson (11-1, 3 saves) has a 1.58 earned-run average (0.32 in the Garden Grove League). He’s batting .318 for La Quinta (11-0, 19-2).