The telling sign of a good pitcher?

The telling sign of a good pitcher?

Watch the batters after they strike out. Some will go back to the dugout without saying a word. Others will shake their head as if to say "how the heck am I going to hit THAT?" As the games go on, those batters will get more animated, more frustrated with some throwing helmets and bats.

That was the Bitterroot Bucs when they faced the Mission Valley Mariners this summer, with the Mariners needing a win to clinch the No. 1 seed in the district tournament.

On the mound was Kyle Bagnell. He'd thrown no-hitters before. He'd established he was one of the most difficult pitchers to hit in the state. Usually when Bagnell was pitching, most people would pencil in a win for the team.

However, he exceeded even those lofty expectations with a 20-strikeout game in a 9-0 win over the Bucs. So confounding was his pitching, that even the fans sitting behind home plate were shaking their heads at the stuff coming across the plate.

"I kept them guessing and didn't let them settle in on the fastball," Bagnell said after the game. "I kept them off guard."

One Buc batter was so off-guard, and perhaps frustrated, that he threw his bat at the dugout, nearly hitting his teammate at the on-deck circle.

Bagnell had also struck a deal with Mariners manager Jami Hanson that he would get ice cream if he struck out 16 batters.

"I'd better get it," Bagnell jokingly said after the game.

That was just one outing for Bagnell. His pitching career for the Mariners was punctuated with many dominating performances. Bagnell also struck out 19 batters in the state tournament this season in a relief pitching appearance. He'll be taking those talents to the next level as he signed a letter of intent to play for Oklahoma State University next fall.

"I'm pretty excited, I didn't really expect to be at this level," Bagnell said after signing his letter. "It's all surreal."

Oklahoma State is no slouch for baseball talent as last year's recruitment class was ranked 15th in the nation.

"It pretty much came down to what I wanted to major in," he said, pointing out that Oklahoma State has an excellent pre med program and that he would like to go to dental school.

If you happen to find yourself watching some Big-10 baseball and the batters look particularly frustrated, check out who's pitching because it might be Bagnell.