Harris Finds Way Back to Strike Zone : Baseball: Mater Dei pitcher no longer struggles with control, which means opposing batters are having tough time.

Adam Harris clenched the ball in his right hand and stared skyward in disbelief as he allowed yet more runners to walk around the bases during a winter league game in February.

Actually, Harris should have been used to such processions. At the time, the right-hander was issuing more free passes than a movie studio conducting audience-screening tests.

Each pitch thrown by Harris produced adventurous moments for his catchers. Strikes became something other pitchers threw.

Few are supposed to know the intended destination of pitches. Generally, though, the guy throwing the ball is among the informed.

With Harris on the hill, you never knew. And neither did he.

Wildness is the nemesis of many pitchers, but the problem is especially disturbing when it afflicts someone who does not light up radar guns. Harris’ fastball is not his best pitch.

“I was just horrible . . . atrocious,” Harris said. “I had no clue where the ball was going. Actually, it was kind of scary.”

Harris was facing one of those challenges that test one’s mettle. In keeping with his character, he entered the battle head on--and won.

Not only did the Mater Dei High senior conquer his demons, he has been one of Orange County’s dominant pitchers this season. Harris is a big reason the Monarchs won the South Coast League title.

He gets the start today when the Monarchs play host to Victorville Victor Valley in the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs. If Harris’ turnaround tour continues for a little while longer, the Monarchs figure they might wind up with a section championship banner.

“I remember there was one game (during the winter) where he walked 11 guys in three innings-- three innings,” Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes said. “But all of a sudden, he caught fire and gave a major boost to the team. The kids really look to him. Every time he goes out there, the kids have the confidence we will win.”

The Monarchs’ faith in Harris is easily explained.

Harris, who relies on a sharp curveball and a hard slider, has an 8-1 record and leads the county with a 0.60 earned-run average.

Harris’ victory total represents half of the Monarchs’ total (16-8-1). He has two one-hitters, and pitched the team’s only no-hitter this season in an 11-0 league victory over San Clemente on April 15.

Possibly even more impressive, however, is the job Harris has done preventing opponents from putting balls in play against him. In 58 innings, he has given up only 20 hits. Harris also has 57 strikeouts.

“He’s had an outstanding season,” Dana Hills Coach Bob Canary said. “He’s the type of kid who gets the most out of his ability.”

Victory is almost a given with Harris on the mound, his teammates believe.

“Before the season, people used to ask me how we’d do, and I said a lot would depend on if Adam could come through,” senior shortstop Erik Mattern said. “Well, that’s exactly what he did. It’s great to know you can score three or four runs and still have a great chance of winning.”

Said senior catcher Matt Treanor: “He comes in and throws a good game each time. We know we don’t have to get a lot of runs on the board for him.”

With each start, Harris surprises himself.

“I can’t believe the season I’ve had,” Harris said. “I could never have set a goal to have the kind of record I’ve had and the type of ERA I’ve had no matter what, but especially because of all the problems I had in the winter.

“It’s just amazing to me how I’ve been getting all these guys out considering where I was before the season started.”

How could something so hard become so simple so quickly?

According to Harris, the problem was all in his head.

“I wasn’t taking my time,” Harris said. “I was just trying to throw it as hard as I could.”

The winter of his discontent was proceeded by a junior season in which Harris was 4-3 after winning his first four decisions. Understandably, Ickes was concerned.

“He was our only returning pitcher, so we thought he would be the No. 1 starter, but he couldn’t throw strikes,” Ickes said. “We really didn’t know what we were going to do.”

Some tutoring sessions with Mater Dei pitching coach Tom Linnert helped, but Harris said he did not turn the corner until he put his mind to it.

“When you get in a hole like that, you get a lot of advice,” he said. “But you have to figure out how to work it out for yourself because you’re the one out there who has to throw strikes.”

Devising plans of action has never been difficult for Harris. He will graduate second in a class of 460 in June. His 4.54 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) is .04 behind the leader.

In the fall, Harris will attend Stanford. He also was accepted by Harvard and Dartmouth. But the lure of playing baseball for the Cardinal was too much to pass up.

“His turnaround has just been unbelievable,” Ickes said. “He’s such a great kid. You just like to see good things happen for kids like this.”

The Monarchs hope Harris is just getting started.