‘I love pitching’: East Knox’s Householder making most of possible final year
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
East Knox’s Bryar Householder pitches to a Fredericktown batter on April 16 in Fredericktown. The Bulldogs topped the Freddies, 5-0. Photo: Joshua Morrison
Bryar Householder loves the control that comes with being on the mound. A standout two-way player, the East Knox senior right-hander has been putting that control on full display these last couple of weeks where he’s amassed 41 strikeouts in 18 innings.
Householder has been a staple in the Bulldogs lineup since his freshman year as the ace of the pitching staff and stout offensive threat.
But when the season ends, so may his time as a ballplayer.
“I’d rather be on the mound,” said Householder, who also plays third base. “I love pitching. It’s fun. Knowing I have control of the game helps me focus more. When I’m in the field, the ball isn’t going to be hit to me every at-bat. So, I’m not thinking (on) every single play. But when I’m pitching, I have the ball – it’s up to me what happens.”
The Bulldogs are 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
He racked up 18 strikeouts and allowed one hit over 8 innings in a 1-0 win at Northmor on April 9. He struck out the first eight batters he faced and needed just 85 pitches, 75 of them for strikes in the extra-inning game.
Householder followed up with a 15-strikeout performance in the Bulldogs’ 5-0 win at Fredericktown on April 16. He gave up just two hits and a walk and threw 103 pitches to complete the shutout.
“He’s not just some big brute out there throwing darts,” Bulldogs eighth-year coach Randy Baugher said. “He really understands the game of baseball. He’s not a thrower – he’s definitely a pitcher. He puts a lot of thought into his pitches and what he’s going to throw. His curveball and his slider have just been super so far.”
Householder also features a fastball and a circle changeup. He said he was reaching 88-89 MPH last summer but hasn’t tested it yet this season.
“I can make (my circle change) move in three different directions,” he said. “Against Northmor, I started (a lot of batters) off with a curveball and then I threw a fastball and then I’d throw a slider that started in the middle of the plate and broke out. So, they couldn’t hit no matter what. But they were still swinging because they thought it was going to be a strike. My slider breaks like a foot and a half to two feet. It’s pretty good.”
His pitching ability has improved through a friendship with Tyler Brown, an Olentangy Orange graduate, who is now in the Cleveland Guardians organization.
“I’ve looked up to him pitching-wise (because) he’s throwing 96-98 miles per hour, so I was like, ‘I need to do what he’s doing,’” said Householder, who has 281 career strikeouts in 193 2/3 innings.
He’s also solid with the bat, boasting a career .478 batting average with 26 doubles, six home runs and 77 RBIs.
Householder weighed 240 pounds as a freshman but completely altered his body. He went on a strict diet where he mostly ate rice, chicken and fish and is down to 215.
East Knox’s Bryar Householder rubs up the baseball on the mound between batters on April 16 in Fredericktown. Photo: Joshua Morrison
“I drank nothing but water – I didn’t drink any pop,” said Householder, who is 6-foot-1. “I was also lifting three to four times a week for an entire year. Now, I look back at it and I’m glad I did it. It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Householder would love to play in college but hasn’t found opportunities above the Division III level. He likes using his hands, so he plans to go to welding school after graduation.
“My (great) grandpa (Ray Householder) was a welder and I’ve loved welding,” Householder said. “I was looking at college for probably a year and it got to the point where it just didn’t seem like something I wanted to do. I didn’t want to go four years into debt just to play baseball.”
He hasn’t completely closed the book on baseball, though.
“I’m still open (to playing),” Householder said. “If I was to get the right (scholarship money), I might still go to college. I’m still doing the right things – showing out what I have to see what comes my way.”
Householder helped East Knox to its first and only district championship as a freshman in 2021 competing in Division IV and was first-team all-state as an infielder his sophomore year. The Bulldogs are Division III this season.
“He’s going to be the best pitcher in welding school,” Baugher said.
East Knox’s Bryar Householder after tossing a shutout in the April 16th game against host Fredericktown. Photo: Joshua Morrison