Time for a baseball playoff surprise? Catholic’s Mason Child thinks it could be his team

Charlotte Catholic lost eight games this high school baseball season, but the Cougars have high hopes as they prepare for Tuesday’s start of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.

And why not?

“This is the kind of team that could go a long way, maybe all the way,” said senior left-handed pitcher Mason Child.

In recent years, the Charlotte area has produced a powerhouse — like the 2022 Providence team that finished 34-0 and won the 4A state championship.

And there are plenty of outstanding 4A teams in the area again this season — like Cuthbertson (24-2), Cox Mill (18-4), Hopewell (21-6), Myers Park (19-5), South Mecklenburg (18-6), and, of course, Providence (21-4).

But none of those teams have run away from the competition this spring. It feels like the kind of playoff season when a Charlotte Catholic could put something special together.

The Cougars (19-8) open the playoffs at home Tuesday and will rely heavily on pitching to carry them this postseason.

Mound strength

Child, a UNC Wilmington commit, is a key part of the mound strength.

He raised his season record to 4-1 Thursday night, pitching 6.2 innings in Charlotte Catholic’s 6-4 victory over Providence for the Southwestern 4A Conference tournament championship. Child, who limited the Panthers to seven hits and struck out nine, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

He also triggered three successful pickoff plays in helping the Cougars win what first-year head coach Eddie Hull said might be the school’s first tournament championship in baseball.

“Mason has been a big part of our season,” Hull said. “When he’s on the mound, he’s in control.”

Child said it’s more than a one-player success story.

“Our whole staff is strong,” he said. “Pitching is a big part of who we are.”

Right-handed starter Jack Hedrick is 4-1 with a 0.49 earned run average, and Virginia Tech commit Alex Hoffman offers a 90-mph-plus fastball as a closer.

Baseball pedigree

Child comes from a baseball family. His father, Jeremy, played at Elon University. His father’s three brothers all played high school baseball.

Mason Child started in T-ball at age 5 and quickly progressed through the ranks. He played in youth leagues in Weddington and mostly in Park Sharon, before joining the travel circuit. Last summer, he played with the New Jersey-based Artillery team on the national circuit.

Child, 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, can throw the fastball well at 90 mph and has a good curve.

“But my go-to pitch is the slider,” he said. “It’s always been my go-to pitch. If I’ve got a 3-2 or 0-2 count, I’m likely going to throw the slider.”

He has very good control, and Hull said Child knows the game well.

“He showed that with the way he started those pickoff plays,” Hull said. “He knows the game and is very aware of what’s going on out there.”

The Cougars have losses this season to Providence, Cuthbertson and South Mecklenburg, but Child said he thinks his team has caught fire.

Seniors Evan MacIntyre (Indiana commit) and John McKillop (Army) are leading the offense, the defense is playing well, and there’s the pitching.

“We’ve gotten hot at the right time,” Child said. “This is what it takes to make a deep run in the playoffs. I’m excited about what we’re capable of doing.”