FAYETTEVILLE — Kyle Pate and Carson Shaddy are committed to the Arkansas baseball team, but in their last high school game together, the duo helped lead the Fayetteville Bulldogs to a class 7A baseball state championship.
The Bulldogs beat Rogers 6-3 Friday at Baum Stadium and Kyle Pate was named the most outstanding player of the 2013 7A state tournament.
Pate tossed a complete game, one-hitter and drove in three runs with a double and a home run in the semifinals to get Fayetteville into the state championship. In the state title game on Friday, Pate earned the save in two innings of relief work.
Pate hit the first batter he faced and the Mounties assembled a three-run rally in the sixth, but Pate was not charged with any of the runs and struck out two and forced a flyout in the seventh inning to secure the program's seventh state championship.
"Kyle wasn't ready, I don't think, mentally to come into the game yet, but he fought long enough to get us into the dugout," Fayetteville coach Vance Arnold said. "The important part of the game was coming back and scoring two after Rogers had pulled within one.
"He had a sub-par performance to start with. He came in with the bases loaded and he's been ice water and pitched well the whole season and then, you know, we didn't expect that to happen. But we got out of there with the lead, our kids came out in bottom of the sixth inning and scored two.
"Kyle came out in the seventh, regained his composure and took the game."
Andy Pagnozzi started the game on the mound for Fayetteville. Pagnozzi is the son of Tom Pagnozzi, who played catcher for Arkansas in 1983 and served as an assistant coach for the Razorbacks following a 12-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
While Pate and Pagnozzi combined to go the distance on the mound, Shaddy was calling the pitches. Arnold said that is something the senior catcher has been doing all season.
"Carson was a kid that comes to the ballpark and there's nobody that plays harder than Carson," Arnold said. "A lot of kids play up to Carson, but Carson is that kid, behind the plate or in center field, he has a great arm, great feet and he works extremely hard.
"I bet I didn't call five pitches all year long. Our catchers called all of them and he called the state championship game impeccably back there. He's just a baseball player that you would love to have on your team."
Pate is just a junior, but he said he is looking forward to reuniting with Shaddy at Baum Stadium in the future.
"Carson is a great player," Pate said. "I wouldn't be where I am without him and he has a great future ahead of him. He can do a lot. He's good behind the plate and with the bat. He's just a great, great player.
"I can't wait to be on this field, playing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, having 10,000 fans cheering for us."
In addition to Pate and Shaddy's commitments, another Fayetteville player has already signed with Arkansas, but he will be playing football for the Razorbacks. Austin Allen started at second base and hit in the two-hole for the Bulldogs. Allen hit a triple and scored on an error during the play.
Allen also led the Fayetteville football team to back-to-back state championships as the starting quarterback the past two seasons.
"Austin is a great kid, but kind of the opposite of Carson," Arnold said. "He likes to keep the tempo down and keep everyone loose. Nothing flusters him and he proves that at the plate. Everybody knows who he is. He's a great hitter that hits early in the lineup, so he has done a fantastic job."
Fayetteville has had several baseball players continue their careers within the city at the University of Arkansas, including Ben Tschepikow, Blake Parker and Tim Carver. Former Fayetteville pitcher Mike Sisco is on the Razorbacks' baseball roster this season, as well.
Arnold said he is always glad to see his players continue their careers by staying close to home and playing for the Razorbacks.
"It's great, because we can come across the street and sit in the bleachers and watch them and be proud of what they accomplish," he said. "I told a couple of moms last night, when they come on the intercom and say, for example, 'Tim Carver from Fayetteville,' that's a special feeling for our baseball program."