MARTINSBURG – When Carson Boober takes the mound to pitch, he could use an antacid.
The Martinsburg senior gets a knot in his stomach before he throws the first ball, and the butterflies are quite evident to him.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a regular season game against a team a couple classes below the Triple-A Bulldogs or a regional or state tournament game, the nerves are there.
“It’s all amped up,” Boober admitted of the biggest games.
In Boober’s mind, the butterflies are a reflection of his desire to succeed and how important his game is to him and his teammates.
“Anyone who loves the game will have them. “We have nerves,” Boober said.
However, the Martinsburg pitcher knows how to tame them and performed well enough for the Bulldogs to win the first 10 games he pitched in.
“They keep me on edge to allow me to perform,” Boober said. “It motivates me and gives me that feeling of loving the sport.
“That’s my goal: to compete.”
He had a small setback in his start in the state tournament against George Washington, but that didn’t take away from the season he had.
His year is reflected today as he has been selected as the winner of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association’s Lowery Award as the state’s Baseball Player of the Year for 2024.
Most notably, Boober defeated Lowery’s Jefferson Cougars in a regional game to help the Bulldogs advance to the state tournament as the top seed.
He captains the Class AAA state team and was named Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
“The season he had has a strong correlation to the work he put in during the offseason,” Martinsburg coach Aaron Beiler said. “He definitely deserves all the praise and has worked very hard for it.”
Despite his own nerves, he presented a certain calm to Martinsburg.
“As a pitcher, I think Carson’s biggest attribute is how he competes every day, how he handles himself,” Beiler said. “He never let emotions get the best of him. He was always in balance.
“Every time I took the mound, the team felt like we were going to win, no matter what. “He generated that trust in his team.”
He failed to match former Martinsburg and professional pitcher Doug Creek’s school record of 11 wins.
Boober posted a 10-0 record entering the state tournament, but looked like a bad clone of himself against George Washington and was rocked for six runs in 2 2/3 innings during a stunning 17-0 loss.
Martinsburg entered the state semifinals as the top seed with a 33-3 record.
Boober said he thought George Washington hit as well, if not better, than the Patriots all season.
“I don’t think Carson’s career is defined by one game,” Beiler said.
Despite falling short of the goal of winning a state championship, Boober said he was pleased with the season overall and how the players related to each other compared to other Martinsburg teams.
“This team clicked more than ever in terms of chemistry,” he said. “This definitely influenced how far we went.
“I never realized how important chemistry is. “Now I believe in that.”
He credited his teammates and coaches for how his season went.
He hit .362 and had a regular season ERA of 1.29 on the mound. He fanned 81 batters in 67 1/3 innings and Martinsburg finished the season with a 33-4 record.
Boober called the season finale against George Washington “the worst moment of my life.”
He and his teammates stood up after the game and showed the camaraderie Boober talked about shortly after the contest.
“Nothing diminishes what we did all season,” Boober said. “We went down there; It was not in vain.
“We were very far away. We were one of the best teams I played on, both in attack and defense. They impacted my record. As for training too.
“I couldn’t have done it all without them.”
Now he’s going his own way.
Spending his vacation last week on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, he made the decision to continue his career and studies at Potomac State.
“It’s my best bet to get to the next level (Division I), that’s the place to go,” Boober said. “So I’m ready to practice, work hard and get better.”
He doesn’t know if the Catamounts will use him as a pitcher or infielder, but he said he’d be happy with either.
“I’ll leave it to them,” Boober said.
And when he takes the field for the first game, the butterflies will come back for him.
The award is sponsored by Wally’s and Wimpy’s Digest.
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