Katella’s Stockstill Peaking Just in Time : Baseball: Pitcher steps up to fill Jaret Wright’s spot as the Knights head for the Division I quarterfinals.

The test of wills between Katella Coach Tim McMenamin and pitcher Jason Stockstill has reached a new plateau.

Chili cheese nachos.

Sometime, when Stockstill least expects it, a rather nasty cleaning bill may be coming his way.

“He says he’s going to get me,” Stockstill said. “He said it’s going to be ugly.”

Said McMenamin: “Jason has to be the center of attention.”

You’d think stepping out of Jaret Wright’s rather lengthy shadow would be enough for Stockstill. Or that his batting average has risen from oblivion. Or that he’s starting today against La Puente Bishop Amat in the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals.

But Stockstill has to push the envelope when he can. Which brings us to the nachos.

“When we clinched the league title, I dumped a bucket on Mac’s head,” Stockstill said. “On the bus ride home, he said he was going to get back at me. It was going to involve chili cheese nachos. It’s going to happen sometime before the season’s over.”

That could be today or next week, depending a lot on how well Stockstill pitches. So far that hasn’t been a problem.

A year ago, he was in the chorus line while Wright performed out front. The Knights were Empire League co-champions and reached the second round of the playoffs. Wright, who was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Indians, and his 90 m.p.h. fastball got the credit.

That has changed.

Stockstill is 10-2 with a 2.08 earned-run average and 70 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings this season. Even more dramatic is his improvement at the plate. Stockstill hit .280 a year ago. This season, he is hitting .402 with two home runs and 30 runs batted in.

Scouts have taken notice. They see a lot of potential in Stockstill’s abilities and his 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame.

“I have never had a player improve so much in one year,” McMenamin said. “His entire game--pitching, hitting, fielding, base running--is so much better. You could see the confidence he had from the start of the season.”

Ah, but confidence is a double-edged sword.

Back to those chili cheese nachos.

If playing baseball is Stockstill’s favorite pastime, then playing with McMenamin is a close second. Stockstill doesn’t miss a trick.

“We have a rule that in practice that you have to have your cap on straight,” McMenamin said. “Jason always has his on sideways. Sometimes his pants will be down around his knees. He does anything to get a reaction out of me.”

Not that McMenamin isn’t capable of retaliation.

Katella was playing El Dorado and McMenamin handed Stockstill the ball to start the game. Stockstill looked at it and complained.

“He said the seams weren’t right,” McMenamin said. “He said they weren’t big enough and he needed another ball. He gave the ball back and walked away.”

Five minutes later, McMenamin handed Stockstill the same baseball.

“He said, ‘Thanks, this is a lot better,’ ” McMenamin said. “He went out and pitched a two-hitter.”

With his never-a-dull-moment personality and wicked changeup, Stockstill has stepped into Wright’s shoes and taken the Knights further.

Stockstill was 6-4 as a junior, including a 3-0 shutout in a key game against Loara. The Saxons had beaten Wright in two previous meetings. Stockstill pitched a six-hitter, striking out seven. His victory started a five-game winning streak that got the Knights a co-championship.

Stockstill picked the team up again early this season. Katella was 3-4 when Stockstill pitched a two-hitter against Kennedy. The next game, he hit a two-run homer in spacious Boysen Park to key an 11-8 victory over Kennedy.

Katella, which has 10 consecutive victories, rolled through Empire League play, finishing 14-1, three games ahead of El Dorado.

“Jaret got all the exposure last year, but he couldn’t do it himself,” Stockstill said. “He had some help. It’s the same thing this year. But we needed someone to step in and set an example for the younger players. That’s been my role.”

Some example. Chili cheese nachos all around?

“There are days when Jason is a mature, 18-year-old,” McMenamin said. “Then there are days when he’s a third-grader.”

McMenamin latest ploy is turning a deaf ear. Almost every day, he said, Stockstill has a series of questions, few serious.

Stockstill will continue to ask until he gets a response.

Said McMenamin: “You have to constantly keep him busy. His teachers tell me he can’t sit still in class. He gets good grades, but he drives teachers crazy.”

Such obsessive behavior has made Stockstill a good pitcher. He is a fast learner and keeps tinkering until he gets it right.

McMenamin taught Stockstill a changeup as a sophomore.

He spent most the season on the junior varsity and improved the pitch.

“He throws it with the same arm speed as his fastball,” McMenamin said. “Guys take some real bad hacks at it. It’s unbelievable to see what he does to hitters.”

For McMenamin, it’s just nice to see someone else tortured.

“Actually Jason’s a lot of fun,” McMenamin said. “He keeps the team loose with those antics. We have a good relationship.”

And the chili cheese nachos?

“Oh, Coach never remembers things,” Stockstill said. “He’s probably already forgotten about it.”