By BILLY HEYEN Tony Fuller turned to Hunter Walsh late in the 2019 state semifinal and asked his McQuaid ace if he could give him an inning. Never in four years had Walsh answered that question in anything but the affirmative. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to rush anything,’” Walsh said. “Ryan (O’Mara’s) in his groove, I was like, ‘You know what? No. I’m not doing … [Read more...] about Inside Hunter Walsh’s week of pain that led to a state final no-hitter
Hunter Walsh
Heyen: Letter to my 10-years younger self
Dear Billy, It’s me (or you?) saying hello from 10 years in the future. How was Bob Matthews’ column in the Democrat and Chronicle this morning? Read it even closer than you usually do. There might be some columns in your future. You’d probably like to know all about what comes next. And I’ll get to some of that, but we’re gonna skip some of the middle stuff. This letter … [Read more...] about Heyen: Letter to my 10-years younger self
The absurd numbers behind Hunter Walsh’s state final no-hitter
By BILLY HEYEN No matter how it was done, a no-hitter in the New York state Class AA state championship game would be a remarkable accomplishment. McQuaid's Hunter Walsh did just that: "Perfect timing for it, right?" It was the first no-hitter he'd ever thrown. But Walsh's was no ordinary no-no. It came on the back of just 70 pitches, well below his postseason average of more … [Read more...] about The absurd numbers behind Hunter Walsh’s state final no-hitter
‘Perfect timing for it’: Hunter Walsh no-hitter leads McQuaid to 1st state title
By BILLY HEYEN ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Hunter Walsh couldn’t throw on Monday or Tuesday. He’d thrown more than 100 pitches in three-straight postseason starts, and he was worried about his chances of throwing in the state final four. Apparently, Walsh didn’t need to worry about simply throwing. More pressing on Saturday was whether he’d allow a hit. He didn’t, and it was the McQuaid … [Read more...] about ‘Perfect timing for it’: Hunter Walsh no-hitter leads McQuaid to 1st state title
Calculated risks pay off as McQuaid holds on to advance to state final
By BILLY HEYEN VESTAL, N.Y. – There’s basically one way to get out of a runner on third, no outs situation, McQuaid catcher Ben Beauchamp said. With a one run lead in the top of the seventh Friday, that’s what Knights’ righty Ryan O’Mara faced. On a day when many wouldn’t have expected O’Mara to even start, what Beauchamp envisioned is what O’Mara did: strikeout, … [Read more...] about Calculated risks pay off as McQuaid holds on to advance to state final