Brothers In Arms

Two Pitchers Named Tyler Have Led Stone Bridge to its Best Season Ever

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Originally published at 12:00 a.m., May 16, 2008
Updated at 2:51 p.m., May 19, 2008

One is a lanky 6-foot-8 giant on the mound with a crooked hat that flops down over his eyes after every pitch. The other sports knee-high socks with stirrups and a shaggy mop-top haircut and didn't crack 5-foot-6 until 11th grade.

At first glance, Tyler Weaver and Tyler Basso don't look like the two best pitchers in the Virginia AAA Liberty District. But looks can be deceiving.

The Stone Bridge senior pitchers are a combined 13-1 record and have allowed only 21 runs between them in 91 2/3 innings. They also have been the catalyst for a school-record 17-3 Liberty District season that included the Bulldogs' first regular-season Liberty District title in the Ashburn school's eight-year history. Stone Bridge did win three regular season and tournament titles in the AA Dulles District, which they played in through the 2005 season.

The two also share a bond that goes back to the day they sat down in the same fourth-grade classroom at Hillside Elementary School. The following year, Basso and Weaver would face off on the baseball diamond for the first and only time. One year later, the two joined the same team and they've played together ever since, a trend they will continue next season at West Virginia University.

"It's pretty cool that we came up together," Weaver said. "We're pushing each other every single game and trying to outdo one another. It's almost like we're competing, but not really. It's just great because I know what his capabilities are and he knows what I can do."

As for playing at West Virginia - where Basso's brother completed his second year - Basso said: "It's really exciting going into college baseball knowing you have someone you've played with your whole life. You know you won't be going in alone and that makes it less stressful and a lot less scary and intimidating."

With a friendship forged at an early age, Basso and Weaver have continued to bond through shared interests, including a self-made-up game that is a hybrid of cricket, baseball and pickle called "Shregball." The pitchers and several of their teammates gather after practice and on Saturdays to play. They've even created an anthem for their game, which they sing just before the start of every game, lined up shoulder-to-shoulder behind the mound facing the sun.

"It's kind of like a Buddhist thing," senior shortstop Mike Stancik said.

Photo Gallery

Stone Bridge's Pitchers

Photo: 0/1

« Previous | Next »

Larger Version

Stone Bridge High School seniors Tyler Basso (left) and Tyler Weaver led the Bulldogs to their first ever AAA Liberty District title. (Richard A. Lipski)

Larger Version

Stone Bridge High School seniors Tyler Basso (left) and Tyler Weaver led the Bulldogs to their first ever AAA Liberty District title. (Rich Lipski)

Larger Version

Stone Bridge High School’s Sam Plank, AAA Liberty District Coach of the Year. (Rich Lipski)

View all thumbnails

Although baseball has always been their passion, neither Weaver nor Basso started with the intention of being of a pitcher. Basso was an infielder who occasionally threw a few innings in Little League while Weaver was most comfortable as a catcher. It wasn't until he reached junior varsity that Basso stepped into a starting role, and Weaver never set foot on the mound until he reached his current height and his coach decided he couldn't waste that kind of size behind the dish.

"My junior varsity coach told me a couple years ago, 'If you ever hit 6-foot-8, you're not catching anymore,'" Weaver said. "I didn't know if that would happen, but it did. I really didn't want to pitch but he wanted a tall pitcher so I gave it a try and it's worked out so far."

Indicative of his casual demeanor, Weaver said he picked up his unorthodox windup from "a no-name pitcher in an online video game." After experimenting with the motion in practice, it stuck and he's used it ever since. And while Weaver said the transition from catcher to pitcher was relatively seamless, his catcher at the varsity level struggled to find a rhythm with the big hurler as his arm adjusted to a drastically increased workload.

"It was pretty difficult last year," senior Brian Wheaton said of catching Weaver. "His arm wasn't really in shape and he didn't have a feel for hitting his spots. So it definitely shows how hard he's worked and how much he's improved over the last year."

Weaver finished the 2007 season with a 7-3 record and is 7-0 this year. His 2.25 ERA and 43-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio helped him earn first-team all-Liberty District honors. Not to be outdone, Basso - who also plays third base for the Bulldogs and hit .354 this season - has been even more dominant, holding opponents to a .138 batting average and allowing only five walks in 45 innings while striking out 57. With a 0.93 ERA, two shutouts and a 27-inning scoreless streak during one stretch, Basso was selected by the league's coaches as the 2008 Liberty District Pitcher of the Year.

"Basso is a kid that can hit his spot just about every single time no matter where it is," Wheaton said. "If it's inside, he'll hit the spot inside, which most kids are afraid to do in high school. He's just so accurate and he has the ability to throw his out pitch just as accurately."

That out pitch is a slider that Weaver describes as simply "dirty" which can lock up hitters looking for a fastball, resulting in many of Basso's strikeouts. Weaver mostly relies on an overpowering fastball that can reach up to 88 miles per hour on the radar gun.

Armed with a stingy defense, an offense that has outscored opponents, 144-44, and two dominant starting pitchers at the helm, the Bulldogs own the top spot in the district tournament and have already secured a spot in the AAA Northern Region tournament. After falling to South County in last season's region semifinal, Plank's team is better equipped to eclipse that result, thanks to Basso and Weaver.

"It's huge to have two guys with their ability in the rotation, especially once you get into the tournaments," Stone Bridge Coach Sam Plank said. "Every coach you'll talk to will say, 'We're just one arm short.' If you don't have two good arms you cannot even think about going anywhere in the Northern Region tournament. Luckily, we don't have that problem."

Up Next: Tonight the top-seeded Bulldogs take on rival McLean in the Liberty District tournament semifinals at 8 p.m. at Madison. The Highlanders were one of only two district opponents to solve Stone Bridge this season, avenging an early season loss with a 4-1 victory in Ashburn on April 18th and handing Basso his only loss. Should the Bulldogs win, they’ll advance to face the winner of No. 2 Madison and No. 3 Langley in the championship game on Monday at Langley at 6:30 p.m.

Tagged: baseball, high school sports, pitcher, sports, Stone Bridge High School

Your Thoughts...

Are you happy that the school year is over?