Ida Baker baseball coach Chad Turner wanted to use Shaun Delozier on the mound last season, but decided he was more valuable to the team as a catcher.

As the Bulldogs slumped this season, Turner had no choice but to shake things up.

“Last year, it was difficult to use him because he was our only catcher. He caught every single game,” Turner said. “We were struggling (this year) so I needed to use whoever I had.”

Delozier, who pitched sparingly as a sophomore, was given his first start of the season March 4 against North Fort Myers and pitched a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts.

The Daily Breeze Male Athlete of the Week has been strong in two other starts since, including a 3-0 shutout win over Barron Collier last Friday.

“I was kind of excited because I haven’t done it in awhile,” Delozier said of returning to the mound.

Delozier came through with a clutch performance against Barron Collier at exactly the right time for the Bulldogs (7-7).

After starting the season 4-0, they had dropped seven of nine games and faced the Cougars (11-3), who were on an eight-game winning streak.

Delozier struck out nine and kept the Cougars in check until the top of the sixth.

He then faced some adversity, allowing two runners in scoring position and falling behind another hitter 3-0, but came back to strikeout two batters and escape the sixth unharmed. He finished off the Cougars in the seventh.

“It was huge for us,” Turner said. “We got hits when we needed and we played outstanding defense behind Shaun and he did what he had to do. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum.”

The Bulldogs play another strong district opponent Tuesday when they visit Fort Myers.



Honorable mentions



Anthony Torres, Cape Coral baseball: Torres, a senior, went four strong innings to notch the win in the Seahawks’ 5-3 win over Cypress Lake. He drove in two runs in a win over East Lee County.



A.J. Reyes, Mariner baseball: Reyes, a senior, hit a two-run home run and pitched six solid innings in a victory over Gulf Coast last Thursday. He went 3-for-5 in a win over Dunbar.