Surrounded by MLB-level hype, Bulldogs baseball enjoying the ride

May 14—MAHOMET — Ryan Johnson knows something about the thrill and pain his son experiences this spring.

Carter Johnson is the Mahomet-Seymour catcher on the Bulldogs' baseball team. A baseball team going through a season unlike any other area teams in recent memory.

Because M-S has a surefire MLB draft pick on its roster. One who can touch the high-90s with his fastball and then leave batters flailing with a mid-80s slider.

Welcome to the Blake Wolters show.

Ryan understands what his son and Wolters' other teammates are going through. To a certain extent.

He occasionally served as the high school catcher of Jeff Martin in the early 1990s. Both now are M-S graduates, and Martin was selected in the 44th round of the 1992 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners.

"(Martin) was low 90s, and I put like a half-inch carpet pad in my mitt," Ryan said. "Because, yeah, it doesn't always feel comfortable."

Baseball technology has improved in the three decades since Ryan was in high school.

"I have a special glove inside (my mitt) that we bought. It's got extra padding for the inside of my palm," Carter said. "I definitely need it now because (Wolters' fastball) is fire."

Even that support has its limits.

Carter needed a moment to remove the catcher's mitt from his left hand during the Bulldogs' 13-0 win against Mattoon on May 6 in Mahomet. A sixth-inning fastball from Wolters was the cause.

Carter shook his hand, still covered with that special glove, a few times before quickly reapplying his mitt and getting back in a crouch behind home plate.

"I caught an inside pitch right off the thumb," Carter Johnson said. "Didn't feel great."

He'll gladly accept temporary aches like this. Carter has caught Wolters in each of the right-handed pitcher's nine starts this season. And Carter is one of numerous individuals who has shared a Wolters-themed spotlight that shines upon M-S baseball this year.

When the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Wolters touched 97 mph during a Prep Baseball Report Illinois Super 60 session in early February, it kickstarted a wild ride for The News-Gazette's 2022 All-Area Player of the Year who signed this past November to play college baseball at Arizona.

Same for his family, his Bulldogs teammates and others surrounding the program.

"I'm just trying to live in the moment right now," Carter said, "and enjoy every single minute."

"It's crazy," added M-S sophomore Mason Orton, a younger standout pitcher for coach Nic DiFilippo's Bulldogs, "but it's a lot of fun."

They all want a piece

DiFilippo had to meticulously map out each of Wolters' planned pitching starts before M-S' season began in mid-March. The reason: so MLB scouts could schedule their own appearances at these games.

Prior to this weekend's Apollo Conference doubleheader at Mt. Zion, Wolters had thrown 38 2/3 innings across eight games — all starts.

One of those was an intrasquad scrimmage on May 1, the result of a game against Normal U-High being canceled. Even that brought scouts to Mahomet, a bedroom community of just under 10,000 residents that sits 15 minutes west of Champaign.

Some who planned to attend a Homewood-Flossmoor game the same day in order to see another Class of 2023 pitching prospect, Dillon Head, wound up heading south to Champaign County after the Vikings' game was rained out.

Two blocks of metal, portable bleachers rest directly behind home plate, on the opposite side of a chain-link fence separating fans from players and coaches.

On days Wolters starts on the mound, those bleachers slowly but surely fill up with MLB scouts before his first pitch.

"It's a little bit nervous," Carter Johnson said. "I come out here for the first hour, I'm just warming up, (and) I just have to find a way to calm my nerves.

"I know he's going to go out and perform. But it's more nerves about me trying to serve him as well as possible."

Wolters' final regular-season home start happened on May 6 when M-S hosted an Apollo Conference doubleheader with Mattoon. The Bulldogs are hosting a Class 3A regional later this month that could allow for one last Wolters start on the M-S home field he's become so acquainted with during his high school career.

True to form, scouts began milling around the Bulldogs' field well before Wolters threw his first pitch to Green Wave sophomore leadoff hitter Madden Johnson in the opening game of the doubleheader.

They took the short walk from one of two parking lots near the field, just outside the high school, down a grassy embankment that leads to the diamond.

Many of them descended upon the third-base bullpen when Wolters began warming up about 15 minutes before his start. Wolters and Carter were separated from scouts and other onlookers by another black, chain-link fence.

Several of their teammates stood on the nearby outfield grass to observe what would be an unremarkable happening at many other high school baseball games.

"I really look up to Blake," said Orton, who racked up 17 strikeouts during the Bulldogs' 9-1 victory later that day in the second game against Mattoon. "He's a really good kid. He's really hardworking. ... It really motivates me, seeing someone like him being able to do (what he has)."

Observing from afar

Plenty of Bulldogs fans, a few Green Wave backers and even a handful of folks without a direct connection to either team joined the MLB scouts in showing up on a windy but otherwise comfortable Saturday morning.

Some are more familiar than others with the spectacle created by a Wolters start.

While DiFilippo's players geared up for their two games, Ryan Johnson stood upon a small trailer overlooking the baseball field. On that trailer he tended to a large barbecue pit, where he cooked a medium-sized alligator covered in bacon along with a whole chicken in its mouth.

Ryan and other parents served gator jambalaya and pulled pork to assembled attendees.

"There's been a lot of special attention placed on Blake, and (his teammates are) happy for him. But it's not all about Blake. It's a team game," Ryan Johnson said. "We've seen for a couple of years, we knew the potential was here come (the players') junior and senior years. They've had a lot of success, and there's great camaraderie on the ball field."

That camaraderie extends past the Bulldogs' dugout and support system.

Wolters' pitching opponent on this day is Mattoon senior Jack Helms, who is continuing his baseball career at Lake Land College. Helms and Wolters, along with some other M-S players, are travel ball teammates through the Champaign-based Yard Goats program.

"I couldn't tell you he was going to be throwing 99. I couldn't tell you that. But he's a hardworking kid, a really great kid," Helms said. "He ended up hurting his wrist his sophomore year (in travel ball), came back really hard and just worked his butt off.

"His junior year, he just blew up."

Kelly Helms, Jack's father, also remembers that injury to Wolters on a day where he got to know his parents, Doug and Angie, a bit better. It happened in the fall of 2020, when Wolters broke the ulna and radius of his left arm while diving into third base after recording a hit.

"I'm a chiropractor, so I ran out there to see what was going on. The young man's hand is deviated. It's an obvious fracture," Kelly said. "You kind of expect a kid that age to swear a little bit ... and the young man was actually praying.

"That's kind of how I introduced myself to (his parents). I said, 'You have a remarkable young man.'"

MLB-level hype among Apollo Conference pitchers isn't a foreign concept to either Kelly or Jack Helms. Ben Hess, a 2021 Charleston graduate, drew MLB attention before the right-hander started his college career at Alabama. Effingham senior right-hander Josh McDevitt is also attracting the eyes of MLB personnel this spring.

"When all those (radar) guns go up behind the backstop, it is interesting to see. Very surreal," Kelly said. "In Blake's case, the money gets very, very real, very fast. It's going to be fun to watch how it unfolds for him."

Time to play ball

Wolters' start versus Mattoon opened with an unusual sight. Madden Johnson slashed a clean single through the gap between M-S junior shortstop Finn Randolph and sophomore third baseman Tyson Finch.

This marked just the eighth hit Wolters had surrendered in the entire season to that point.

He shook that off by cleanly fielding a bunt from the next batter, junior Slater Trier, while looking away from first base. Wolters deftly spun and threw out Trier while Johnson advanced to second base.

The Mattoon scoring threat ended with a strikeout by senior Cayden Knierim and a groundout off the bat of sophomore Joseph Stewart.

Each pitch to those four batters was accompanied by the hoisting of several radar guns and cell phones behind home plate from MLB personnel. A few scouts and some fans filmed Wolters both from that spot or elsewhere around the field.

Matt Barnard will be on many of those video recordings. He was the man tasked with determining if each of Wolters' pitches was a ball or a strike.

He's served as an IHSA baseball umpire since 2005 and also officiates in other sports. The Chatham resident works with Brandon Crowl on a two-man baseball crew.

"Aside from playoff games ... that was one of the more well-attended games, and it's obviously because he's on the bump that day," Barnard said. "It's definitely different when you know there's scouts there in the first row, and you're hoping to do your best, so they can get an accurate representation (of Wolters)."

Among the high school pitchers Barnard has worked home plate for are Chatham Glenwood product Reid Detmers, currently a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels who threw a no-hitter with the Angels in 2022, and Parker Detmers, a Chatham Glenwood senior who soon will play college baseball at Louisville and is also catching the eyes of MLB scouts this spring.

"I was aware of (Wolters), but this is the first time I had called one of his games," Barnard said. "We were hoping that he would pitch. ... It's exciting to work with a kid at that level."

Jack Helms didn't make it through his half of the first inning as unscathed as Wolters, permitting an RBI single from Finch that gave M-S a 1-0 lead.

"It got my nerves ramped up a little bit (seeing scouts behind home plate)," Jack said. "I just saw five or six come in at a time. The Padres' general manager was there."

Yes, San Diego GM A.J. Preller was among the MLB types stationed in Mahomet on this day.

"There were just a lot of important people here," Jack Helms continued. "It was a really cool environment to pitch in."

Even as radar guns, cell phones and the occasional video camera kept popping up while he pitched, Wolters stayed locked in on retiring Mattoon batters. He struck out two batters in the second inning. A fielding error behind him was erased when Carter Johnson picked off Green Wave junior Camden Jordan on the basepaths.

Wolters struck out three foes in the third inning, sandwiched around Madden Johnson's second base hit of the day — a bouncer straight up the middle.

Then came a 1-2-3 top of the fourth with two strikeouts. Another two-strikeout effort in the fifth, along with a double roped into the outfield by Jordan.

Wolters ended his pitching day in the sixth inning, tallying a hit batter along with three more punchouts.

His final stat line: six innings pitched, 61 pitches thrown for strikes out of 77 total, three hits, no runs, one hit batter and 13 strikeouts.

Getting the job done

Both Carter Johnson and Barnard pointed to a different pitch thrown by Wolters that most impressed them.

"I don't think anybody's going to hit that slider right now," Carter said.

To that point, Carter on multiple occasions had to track down a third strike that a Mattoon player swung through and missed before the ball hit the dirt and bounced up into Carter's chest protector.

"I love it," Carter said. "It's just a great sentiment, knowing he's shoving out there, and it shows I get to be a part of it."

Barnard opted to highlight the fastball.

"Once it gets into the upper velocity, when it's 90-plus, it sounds different. It hits the glove different. It can whistle," Barnard said. "You actually get used to it pretty quickly, the speed of it.

"A good catcher is critical, and Carter did a really nice job. He made me feel comfortable because if I don't have confidence in him catching a 100 mile per hour fastball, I'll be all over the place."

Ryan Johnson points out that DiFilippo allows Carter to call games from behind home plate. Carter and Wolters have played baseball together since they were about 9 years old, including many innings of Carter catching Wolters' pitches.

"They really trust each other. They've worked so well together," Ryan Johnson said. "Carter also has told me that it's more in-game. ... It's not just, 'This is what our plan is to start the game.' It's how is it playing out, and do we need to make adjustments."

Wolters' cumulative pitching statistics through this weekend's doubleheader with Mt. Zion prove both the quality of pitcher he is and the quality of catcher Carter is.

During his 45 2/3 innings, Wolters has allowed 10 hits, three earned runs, 14 walks and five hit batters while striking out 98 and throwing three no-hitters, including one in a 4-0 win against Mt. Zion as part of a Saturday doubleheader. His earned run average through nine starts rested at 0.46.

"He pitched really well (against us), got ahead in a lot of counts," Jack Helms said.

Jack also realizes all the scrutiny Wolters is under this spring can be tied back to past winter workouts he and Wolters went through with former Tuscola baseball coach Adam Carver.

"He did those workouts seven days a week," Jack said. "Whatever you asked him to do, he would do."

Leaving an impression

Wolters is trying to keep a relatively low individual profile while his senior baseball season is ongoing.

He's told The News-Gazette in the past his biggest concern is helping M-S win an IHSA Class 3A state championship. Whatever happens after the Bulldogs' wrap up their playoff run is a future concern of Wolters.

He and his family are working with noted sports agent Scott Boras, who has advised against Wolters talking with scouts after games. Former MLB outfielder Xavier Nady is a go-between for the Wolters family and Boras.

Wolters is ranked 57th on MLB.com among all 2023 draft prospects.

Not just in high school, either — but rather out of all potential draftees in this year's class before the draft takes place July 9-11 in Seattle, the site of this year's MLB All-Star Game.

"His power and physicality have prompted comparisons to fellow Illinois prep product Bobby Miller (out of McHenry High), now a top-100 prospect with the Dodgers," reads a scouting report on MLB.com. "Wolters now operates at 94-96 mph early in games with good carry up at the letters but less life when he works lower in the strike zone. His slider can run the gamut from a plus breaker in the mid-80s with spin and shape to a less powerful slurve, but it could be at least a solid offering.

"Wolters has done a good job of harnessing his stuff as it has taken off this year. ... He throws strikes and should be able to hold his velocity deeper into contests as he continues to develop. Originally committed to Purdue, he switched to Arizona but is unlikely to get to campus."

That last tidbit along with Wolters' No. 57 ranking is what really has M-S community members buzzing.

Projecting Wolters as an MLB draft pick within the first two rounds is well within the realm of possibility.

"Watching him every time the kid took the mound, if you've ever met people in life that just succeed at almost everything they do, he reminds me of somebody like that," Kelly Helms said. "That's why I think my son better get some autographed stuff from him, probably as soon as possible, because I do think this young man's going to have success at anything he does."

Not all about him

Wolters' senior-year baseball exploits are taken hand-in-hand with the triumphs of his teammates, by those closest to the Bulldogs. Same goes for the shortcomings of both parties.

Wolters' six innings pitched in that 13-0 win over Mattoon on May 6 also included a grand slam and six RBI from junior Cade Starrick, plus three hits and four RBI from Finch. Orton posted what may have been an even more dazzling pitching performance in the second game.

Sure, Wolters may have been the only Bulldog approached after the end of Wednesday's 14-0 victory versus Maroa-Forsyth by a young fan seeking an autograph for a baseball. And MLB scouts might not be targeting any of his teammates right now, even if several of them are preparing for college athletic careers or will continue to compete on the travel ball circuit.

But Wolters was right alongside his pals, all in orange jerseys with the word "Bulldogs" scrawled across the front in dark-blue lettering, as they chowed down on alligator jambalaya and pulled pork between games against Mattoon.

He attended a team dinner three days after the Green Wave doubleheader, in which DiFilippo's bunch flocked to Nando Milano restaurant in Champaign.

He hit a two-run home run in that triumph against Maroa-Forsyth and loudly called for multiple pop flies to the second base position he fielded in that game.

Wolters can't be exactly like his M-S baseball colleagues this spring. Or likely in the future. But they, their parents and the Bulldogs' coaches don't view him as some sideshow attraction to the team's larger goals.

Everyone in the M-S camp is along for the same ride.

"Blake has been one of the special kids. We've known for a long time he was going to be great," Ryan Johnson said. "A lot of the parents of the senior class knew that this class of kids was going to be special from like second grade. ... Blake isn't the only one."