King of Quartz Hill : Hussman Shakes Jitters and Mows Down Hitters for Rebels

QUARTZ HILL —  Darrell Hussman is quick to admit there’s a huge correlation between his anxiety level and his success on the mound.

One of the dominant pitchers in Southern California, the Quartz Hill High senior twice this season has been attacked by a case of nerves the night before a game.

In a crucial Golden League matchup against Palmdale, the jitters turned into disaster as Hussman couldn’t retire a batter in the second inning, culminating in a grand slam by Justice Jones, the Falcons’ No. 8 hitter.

A stunned Hussman was moved to first base after allowing five earned runs, and five walks, in one-plus innings.

Considering Hussman had given up two earned runs in his six previous starts, five runs was cause for near panic.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening,” he said. “My teammates could see what was wrong, my coach could see what was wrong, but I didn’t have a clue.”

But after consulting his grandparents’ videotape of the game, Hussman discovered he short-armed his pitches. After making an adjustment, he went right on dominating opposing hitters.

However, on Thursday night, preparing to face Hart in a Southern Section Division III first-round playoff game the next day, it happened again.

“I couldn’t sleep at all,” he said. “Even in school on Friday, I couldn’t concentrate at all. I was just thinking about the game all the time.”

A shaky Hussman was wild in the first inning with a walk and a wild pitch, giving up an early run.

Hussman could feel himself slipping, but this time he caught himself as the Rebels rallied to defeat Hart, 5-3.

“It was the exact same feeling as Palmdale,” Hussman said. “I knew I had to do something. In the bullpen my fastball was working but my curve and changeup were all over the place. After I got through the first, it got smoother.”

Hussman hasn’t had to make adjustments on the fly often. Other than those two starts, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has been nearly unhittable.

Consider Hussman’s four-hit, 10-strikeout performance against the Indians was probably the second- worst outing of the season.

In 61 2/3 innings, Hussman has a 9-1 record with 84 strikeouts and has given up 24 hits with an earned run average of 1.14. Take away the Palmdale aberration and the ERA drops to a microscopic 0.63.

Baseball America had an inkling of Hussman’s potential, ranking him the No. 74 high school prospect in the nation before the season though he barely pitched in 1994 after suffering a shoulder injury.

“I didn’t think much of [the high ranking] coming into preseason, but all of a sudden he was throwing so hard,” Rebel Catcher J.D. Smith said. “With his mental makeup I knew he was going to do well.”

Smith found out quickly. After the season opener was delayed by rain for over a week, Hussman, who throws a consistent 85 m.p.h., opened the season with a no-hitter against Royal.

For the second time in as many years for Quartz Hill, scouts by the dozen were showing up every time its ace was scheduled to pitch.

Last season, Quartz Hill’s top pitcher was Roger Worley, a hard-throwing right-hander who signed with the Baltimore Orioles after being selected in the third round of the baseball draft.

Although Worley may have thrown harder, teammates and opposing coaches would rather have Hussman.

“If we had Roger at his best and Darrell at his best, Darrell would be the No. 1 pitcher on this team,” Smith said. “This is nothing against Roger, but Darrell is thinking more about what he needs to do when he’s out there.”

Now Hussman finds himself in the same position as Worley with the draft not two weeks away.

Hussman’s mother, Marlene, keeps his schedule and arranges home visits for scouts. The appointment book has been full the last two weeks.

“It’s almost like a business,” Marlene Hussman said. “I’m on the phone with them and they ask for a night and it’s booked, so I wind up the one scheduling all the appointments.”

Although Hussman has signed a letter of intent to play at Arizona, if a team drafts him in the first five rounds and makes an appropriate offer, he will jump at the chance to play pro ball.

“I just want to get a fair chance,” Hussman said.

“If I get picked in a decent round and get offered fair money, then I’ll probably go for it. If it’s the 20th round, I’m not going to try to get rich off that.”

Meanwhile the scouts, armed with radar guns, scrutinize every move once Hussman begins warming up.

“As soon as I throw that first pitch, all the scouts fade away and all I see is J.D. ready to catch me,” he said.

His confidence has wavered only once. In the week following the Palmdale game, Hussman fretted until he took the mound the following week against Highland.

By the first inning, the confidence was back and Hussman was on his way to a four-hitter with 13 strikeouts.

Not coincidentally, Hussman’s off-game and resurgence mirrored the Rebels’ season. Quartz Hill was 11-0 and ranked first in the area by The Times, but the Rebels lost five of six games and fell out of the rankings.

Looking for a outlet to get his team’s attention, Coach Mike Nielson relaxed his rule on facial hair. Hussman added the goatee to his on-field demeanor, which includes application of eye-black before each game.

After losing once with the new look, the Rebels have responded with six consecutive victories and will face Santa Margarita in the second round Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. at Quartz Hill High.

Hussman won’t be pitching but will still play a valuable role as the first baseman and clean-up hitter. He leads the Rebels with a .426 average, with three home runs and 19 runs batted in.

But Hussman will still have an influence on the mound. He plays the teacher’s role to Tuesday’s scheduled starter, sophomore Mark Madsen, another hard thrower who hopes to emulate Hussman’s dream season in two years.

“I look at his antics and attitude on the mound and I try to learn as much as I can,” Madsen said.

“A lot of what I’ve learned about pitching this season has come from Darrell.”