Gazette MVP: Highland's Hunter Winston grew into one of county's best power pitchers

There was a time when current Highland star athlete Hunter Winston was decked out in Brunswick baseball gear while tugging on the pants of his father Todd, then the Blue Devils coach, during a postgame interview and asking when they were going home to Hinckley Township. In 8-year-old Hunter's defense, he was tuckered out from running the bases like his long, curly blond hair was on fire. Todd would always grin, wrap an arm around his son, pat him on the head and respond with "soon." That seems like a lifetime ago — he still has curly blond hair but is now a hulking 6-foot-4, 230 pounds — and while Hunter is more easygoing as an 18-year-old recent high school graduate, baseball has always been at the center of the Winston family's universe. No one would have it any other way. Todd Winston was a standout University of Michigan catcher, had a three-year minor-league career with the Astros and has coached the game each year since Hunter was born on Aug. 3, 2005. An old-school baseball man through and through, he gave up the successful Brunswick position following the 2014 season to focus on his sons' travel teams — Colton has just completed his freshman year — before joining the Highland staff as an assistant this spring. "He used to coach at Brunswick, so I used to always go to those games," Hunter recalled. "After the games, I'd run around the bases and try to race the other kids. I also remember he took me to some tryout for 8U when I was 5 or 4, but he taught me everything except how to catch a ball." Hunter chuckled before adding, "I got cut." No one in their right mind would cut Hunter now. The swan song was an individual season to celebrate, as Winston was unquestionably considered the top player in Medina County. The Ohio University recruit is the fifth Hornet to be named Gazette MVP since the award was founded in 1978, beginning with pitcher Mike Houska, whose records Winston chased. "I very much look forward to him focusing on baseball 24/7/365 and seeing where that takes him," Highland coach Jay Grissom said of Winston, who also was a 1,086-point scorer in basketball. "His potential is through the roof because he's got the work ethic to go along with it. I'm excited to see what college coaches can do with him and how he develops physically. At some point in time, he's going to get paid to play baseball. He's only going to get bigger and stronger." Pitching was in the cards for Winston virtually from Day 1, as left-handers are limited to the mound, first base and outfield. Raw size and power were evident from the beginning, but harnessing what used to a be a jerky, over-the-top throwing motion into a smooth, powerful, over-the-top delivery took Winston to the next level. Winston shared top pitching duties with Carter Oviatt and Logan Marquis as a sophomore and settled into the No. 2 role due to Max Wagar's out-of-nowhere blossoming last spring. There was no doubt he'd be the man as a senior, and he was ready for the challenge. "I love that part," he said. "I always want to pitch in the big games because I love facing competition to see where I'm at and what I need to work on. "Even if we're not supposed to win, everybody knows we can win them. We can beat anybody, especially if I'm pitching or if (sophomore) Dan Miller is pitching, because he had a great year. We all knew we could beat anybody if we played like we should." Winston was unhittable from start to finish, going 7-1 with a 0.64 ERA and 101 strikeouts against only 13 walks and 27 hits in 54 2/3 innings. He became the first county player to surpass 100 punchouts since the OHSAA implemented strict pitch-count rules in 2017 and is one of just 14 to do so all time. Only Winston and Buckeye's Eli Kraus (2014), who starred at Kent State and played two years in the Cardinals organization, have hit the milestone in the last 33 years. Winston was no more dominant than during an 18-strikeout one-hitter against Revere. He added a six-inning, 15-strikeout no-hitter against the Minutemen later in the regular season and whiffed nine in his final start, a six-inning two-hitter during a 14-0 demolishing of Greater Cleveland Conference co-champion Strongsville in the district semifinals. For his career, the Division I second-team All-Ohioan was 18-5 with a 1.20 ERA and 232 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings. His strikeout-per-inning rates of 1.929 as a junior and 1.859 as a senior rank first and fifth in county history, while his 7.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio this spring — an eye-popping improvement from 1.79 as a sophomore and 3.00 as a junior — is a school record by a mile. "Oh, geez, if you want a single word, I'd say dominant," Grissom said. "He gave us a chance to win every time he was on the mound. Everybody talks about the 101 strikeouts, but the more impressive number is the 13 walks. He got ahead, stayed ahead and he didn't pitch in very many unfavorable counts. "To me, it was confidence in throwing multiple pitches (fastball, curveball, slider) and being confident in challenging hitters in spots and not nibbling later in his career. He just went after guys in a way that he did not as a freshman and sophomore, which is understandable." Winston's high school career ended after going 1-for-3 while playing first base in a 5-0 loss to St. Edward in the D-I, Northeast 6 District championship game. That the Eagles were the opponent was an odd feeling, given that Todd was the head coach at St. Edward before coming to Brunswick, where he still teaches. This time, Hunter didn't tug at Dad's jersey to go home. This time, he didn't want to go home, because he didn't want his Highland baseball career to end. "The community part (is great), because if you were to go to a parochial school, everybody is coming from everywhere," Winston said. "Not to say there isn't a sense of community at those schools, but you grow up with all these kids, you played baseball with them and known them your whole life. "To share the diamond with them is something special." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.