Andrew Embry of PCA winds up against Amite in Tuesday’s playoff opener.(The Vicksburg Post/C. TODD SHERMAN)

[05/02/02]Andrew Embry was in trouble.

He had just allowed three runs to the No. 4 team in the state, two of them on bases-loaded walks, and the bases were still loaded with only one out.

Porters Chapel Academy coach Randy Wright turned to his assistant and expressed doubts about the junior left-hander’s ability to pitch in a big game.

Then, Embry did something he hadn’t been able to do before. He pitched out of the bad inning, shook it off and dominated University Christian the rest of the way, leading PCA to a 5-3 win.

Now, nearly a month later, Wright isn’t worrying about Embry’s ability to pitch in a big game.

He’s counting on it.

Although he was hit hard in the Eagles’ playoff opener against Amite on Tuesday, Embry has made a startling transformation from a young pitcher with loads of potential to one of the best in Warren County.

He entered the best-of-three second-round playoff series with Amite with an 8-1 record, a 1.67 ERA and 91 strikeouts in only 46 innings.

He surrendered five earned runs and 11 overall and had a streak of 21 scoreless innings snapped in the Eagles’ game one loss to Amite, but the streak covered four games that included two key conference wins and PCA’s first win against University Christian in more than seven years.

“Andrew is pitching exceptionally well right now. It’s a big advantage to have a dominating pitcher on the mound, and that’s what he is right now is a big, dominant left-hander,” Wright said. “It’s like a light switch turned on. He’s a totally different pitcher than he was last year. A lot of it has to do with his confidence and his increased velocity.”

For the last two seasons, Embry overwhelmed lesser teams but struggled in big games. He was rocked in four playoff games over the last two years and also slumped at the plate last season, hitting a dismal .156 after batting .329 with seven home runs as a freshman.

“I was young then. Pitching in playoff games as a ninth-grader and sophomore is tough,” Embry said.

This season, however, he’s come into his own. More maturity and more muscle have helped him increase the speed on his fastball from the mid-70s to the low-80s, and have also helped him rebound at the plate.

Embry is hitting .423 with a team-best six homers and 34 RBIs. On the mound, his scoreless streak included two shutouts in key division games against Franklin and Tallulah Academy, and he’s allowed only 16 earned runs.

“He’s got confidence this year. Last year, he had a girl in his head,” said PCA catcher Ryan Hoben, who has also shined as PCA’s No. 2 pitcher, posting a 1.40 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. Hoben will get the start in Game 2 of the second-round series today at Amite. “He’s throwing a lot harder and his curveball is breaking a lot more this year.”

The turning point for Embry, though, seemed to come against University Christian. It was the same type of early jam he had gotten into during his shaky playoff outings. Instead of losing control again this time, Embry said he knew he had to take it.

“I just had to realize that I can’t have these innings and expect to get out of it every time. I can’t walk the bases loaded and expect to not give up a run and then have my team come back,” he said.

Since then, his success has fed off itself and created a monster that grows with every 1-2-3 inning, every strikeout and every win. The more he’s won, the more confidence he has gained, and the bigger the monster PCA puts out on the hill every week.

Instead of hanging his head after giving up a walk or a hit, he’ll often come back with a strikeout. A string of strikeouts is usually accompanied by a fist-pump and a yell.

“When I get on a roll, I think I have more confidence. But keeping my composure and not getting frustrated when I make a mistake has been the main thing,” Embry said. “If I throw a bad pitch, I know I can go back and get them.”

The confidence has also carried over to his teammates. Knowing they usually need just a run or two to win when Embry is on the hill makes things a lot easier for the rest of the Eagles, third baseman Josh Rush said.

“Last year when he got on the mound, he’d have a good game every now and then. This year, every time he steps on the mound he has a good game. He got real reliable,” Rush said. “We feel when he’s on the mound, if we can put a few runs on the board, we’re going to win.”