After Waiting Game, Blake Butcher Healthy and Ready for Final Push at State Tournament
By Michael Minnich on May 31, 2026
Blake Butcher is done watching.
The senior Bridgeport pitcher, unfortunately, had to do plenty of that during his sophomore and junior seasons as he battled injuries after an excellent start.
“We played St. Albans to open up my sophomore year and I had nine strikeouts,” Butcher said.
But the problems started with an appendix surgery right after a 10-strikeout showing against George Washington his sophomore year that Butcher still calls “probably my best game I’ve ever played on this field.”
The appendix issues were followed by a partially torn UCL his junior year.
“I got the opportunities, but I couldn’t produce with my health,” Butcher said of last year.
That pain has been erased, literally and figuratively, this year as Butcher has been one of the state’s top pitchers, regardless of class.
“Oh, man, you don’t even understand. (Health) was the biggest thing going into last offseason…if I feel any type of pain, any type of discomfort, I would take a break and recover my body as fast as I could,” Butcher said.
Health has brought confidence to Butcher, who is one of the contenders to take the ball as the starting pitcher in Bridgeport’s state quarterfinal on Tuesday, June 9.
“Walks were a problem for me when I was younger. This year, I’ve minimized that. I’m throwing 60% strikes most of the time. That’s all I’ve been working on is throwing strikes and staying healthy.
“My two big things are to be in the zone early and attack hitters. That just produces outs. Strikeouts will come with my stuff. I know have good enough stuff to get guys, but I need to be in the zone as early and as often as I can.”
“Going into this season feeling the best I have and not having any slip-ups or injuries throughout the entire season is amazing, especially with the amount of pitches I’m throwing during each outing,” Butcher said. "I’m going 110 (pitches) every time and to feel good after the third day, I’m just like, wow. It feels good to be able to help my team every single time.”
Now, win or lose, his career is ending at the state tournament in Huntington.
“It feels great, especially because this is the first time this group of guys has been here,” Butcher said. “It’s special to me that I’m the senior leading us to do that. I’m very excited.”
“That was the goal since this winter, working with these guys up at The Bridge,” Butcher said. “Sometimes when coach Shields wouldn’t schedule practice, a couple of the guys went up there and we practiced on our own. For all of us guys to come together and want to practice and want to get better, that meant something to me.
“I knew we were going to be special from that point on.”
Special is right: Bridgeport enters the state tournament with a 30-4 record and as the presumptive No. 1 seed.
Butcher, if he does pitch in state competition, which would continue with a state semifinal on Friday, June 12 and the state championship game on Saturday, June 13, will be in familiar confines at Marshall University’s Jack Cook Field.
Butcher already threw there in an extra-inning loss to Cabell Midland earlier this year: “That was my third time pitching there. I went to a couple of camps for Marshall and pitched there. Each time I’ve gotten better.
“The first time I was awful.
“The second time, I couldn’t figure it out.
“The third time, I gave up three runs in the first and I went scoreless through seven innings after that. It was first-game jitters, I think. We brought in two sophomores for their first time, one of the guys we brought it was playing his first game on varsity. But it showed we could battle with a big AAAA team who was projected to be really good this year.”
That was a tone-setter against the Tribe’s always-difficult schedule.
“We split with Jefferson, we beat Morgantown twice, those are just big morale game and confidence games to know we can compete with anyone in the state.”
The maturation of a young roster has been essential to Bridgeport’s success.
“Luke (Rohrig) is so close with everybody. He’s a great player. I’m hoping he and that junior class can go back-to-back,” Butcher said. “That sophomore group has so much talent. They just need to stay together and find that leader.”
Butcher is already seeing that from an essential position: catcher.
“Cole Courtney, I never thought I would be as close as I am with him. He’s a smart kid. I asked from him to be my catcher that first game this year. I got yelled at a little for asking for my catcher,” Butcher laughed. “But he’s stuck with me the entire year. Every time I pitch, he’s been behind the plate. That kid works harder than anybody on this team.”
And if Butcher is the guy standing on the mound on championship Saturday with Courtney behind the plate?
“Every night I’ve dreamed of that moment, just because I’ve been out and I’ve had to watch. So to be healthy this year and have the opportunity to maybe throw on that Tuesday and come back for the state championship game, I’ll do everything to get my body ready.
“I think about it every single night, to throw in that state championship and get the last out and to celebrate on the mound.
“It’s the best way to say goodbye to all these juniors and sophomores that we’ve grown so close to.”
