Noah Bonnema not discouraged after near no-hitter

HOLLAND — As Noah Bonnema strolled out to the mound in the seventh inning on Wednesday, he knew he had to work quickly.

Not only was he braving the strong wind and frigid temperatures at East Kentwood, but he was also battling the pitch count. He tossed six no-hit innings over the Falcons having thrown 98 pitches. MHSAA rules mandate that a pitcher can't start a new at-bat once they reach 105 pitches.

Bonnema got two quick outs, but used one too many pitches, making it impossible for him to finish what he started. Cooper Terpstra came in and finished off the combined no-no, giving the Panthers a 3-0 win.

"I was out there on the mound just counting every pitch I threw in the last inning and just wasn't able to get the first two guys fast enough," Bonnema said. "I was a little disappointed I couldn't finish it off myself, but I knew Cooper was going to finish it off."

Bonnema has never thrown a no-hitter at any level before, making it into the fifth inning a season ago before giving up a hit. Matt Naber, the Panthers coach, knew that by rule he was forced to go out and give his hurler the hook, but that didn't make it easy on him.

The coach was still more concerned with getting the win in the OK-Red matchup, but no coach ever wants to be the guy to take the ball out of his horse's hand with a major milestone on the horizon. The pitch count rule is there to keep arms safe and healthy for the rest of the season and to try and eliminate arm and shoulder injuries in young pitchers. Still, on Wednesday, it was a tough pill for him to swallow.

"I knew he could've finished the job, the umpire came up and told me 'that rule is a good rule but a bad rule,'" Naber said. "It's good because it keeps guys healthy, but it's so tough in random situations like this that happen less than one percent of the time."

Naber doubts this will be his final realistic shot at a no-no in his career. Even if it doesn't come to fruition at West Ottawa, Bonnema still has four more years of pitching ahead of him after committing to play at Hope College recently.

It wouldn't be a shock if it does happen before he leaves high school though. He was the Panthers ace a season ago, earning first-team all-confernce honors, and has gotten even better since then.

He's added a few miles an hour to his fastball, which currently sits in the low to mid-80s, and has really honed in his command of a curveball. He's also been developing a changeup that he breaks out every once in a while, just to keep hitters off balance.

Those improvements haven't just come by luck, though. He's in the weight room more often than not and worked a ton on his mechanics with Shane White, a pitching coach who works with Bonnema's travel team in the summers.

"I hit the weights pretty hard trying to put on size and strength across my whole body and my work with Shane has really just made my whole motion so much more efficient," Bonnema said. "That's really helped my command and velocity, but the weight training has helped in my recovery after throwing too."

He had 12 strikeouts in the game against East Kentwood and has racked up a total of 25 in just three appearances so far. The senior isn't just a force on the mound though, he's been a steady presence in the field too.

When Bonnema isn't on the bump, he's the everyday shortstop for West Ottawa, even going straight to the six-hole once he came off the hill on Wednesday. While he's going to be exclusively a pitcher for the Flying Dutchmen, he's got silky smooth and lightning-quick hands on the infield. He's no slouch at the plate either.

If he's not sitting down a hitter with his arm, he's more than likely at the dish making his pitching counterpart pay for a mistake. He's hitting .367 and has five RBIs through nine games this season.

"He bats third in our lineup, and is an extremely strong and consistent hitter for us," Naber said. "He's one of the better all-around players we've had in our program for the last couple of years, that's for sure."

He's got a little bit more than half his final baseball season ahead of him and he's trying to avenge a disappointing end to last season. Playing in one of the toughest conferences in the state of Michigan, the Panthers finished third behind two teams ranked highly in the state. Despite that, they made an early exit from the district playoffs, losing to Zeeland East.

Right now, West Ottawa has a 4-5 record on the season and is riding a two-game win streak. Bonnema pitches about once a week, so there should be about four or five more chances for him to get that allusive no-hitter. He's not concerning himself with that though.

As long as they keep winning games, he doesn't care if he ever throws the no-no.

"We got bounced in the first round of the postseason last year and my biggest goal is to come back and win a district title this year," Bonnema said. "We play June 3, I've already got it circled on my calendar. Right now that's all that matters."

—Contact Assistant Sports Editor Will Kennedy at Will.Kennedy@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa High School pitcher Noah Bonnema not discouraged after near no-hitter