NORTON SHORES – The weather was hand-numbing cold on Tuesday night – hardly the ideal weather for baseball – but somehow it didn’t affect Mona Shores ace pitcher Jaxon Huffman.

He remained as hot as he’s been all season, striking out 11 Zeeland East batters in 6 2/3 innings, improving her personal record to 5-0 on the season, and helping the Sailors improve to 11-2.

The only thing that suffered a bit in the game was Huffman’s superman status as the pitcher who had not allowed an earned run all season.

That finally happened in the fifth inning when Zeeland East got an infield hit and the batter ended up coming around to score.

Of course no pitcher is going to go an entire season without giving up an earned run. But Huffman has been as close to perfect as a high school pitcher can be so far, and the best is yet to come for the talented junior.

“That was the worst weather we ever had,” Mona Shores Coach Brandon Bard said about Tuesday’s game. “We had snow in Zeeland for about an inning. But he still threw extremely well. It’s tough to get loose and stay loose in that kind of weather, but when we hand him the ball we know what we’re going to get.”

“I mean, I wanted to be perfect, but we did our best and held them to two runs and got the win,” Huffman said.  “I knew it was going to happen. It just so happened it was against East. They have a pretty good ball club.  I was a little bummed out, but it happens.”

Most pitchers of Huffman’s status are well-known in the area long before they reach their peak, but he’s a little bit different due to circumstances.

Huffman would have pitched on varsity in 2020 as a freshman, but COVID wiped out baseball and inhibited his development for a year.

Last season the MHSAA shut down baseball for 10 days due to COVID, and just as that ended, Huffman caught the virus himself and missed even more time.

So he didn’t end up having the sophomore season he could have had, but started to reach his potential in the offseason, according to Mona Shores Coach Brandon Bard.

“We had a fall league last year, and he definitely took a big jump from summer to fall, and then from fall to winter,” Bard said. “We could tell from the time he was a freshman that we wanted to get him in the gym and get him some bullpen work. He has great arm strength and great presence on the mound. I think he has more in the tank yet, too.”

Huffman currently has a 5-0 record with a pretty remarkable 0.25 ERA and 54 strikeouts, two stats that lead the area. He’s averaging nearly 11 strikeouts per game, which is a big reason why the Sailors have won every game he’s started.

He showed flashes of what was to come in the season opener, a 3-2 win over Montague, striking out nine with no walks in four innings.

Huffman set a new school record in a victory over Grand Rapids Union, striking out 17 while pitching a no-hitter.

He struck out nine in a complete game victory over Zeeland West. He struck out eight in a win over Oakridge.

Hoffman has even contributed with his bat at times, like when he had two hits, including a homer, and three RBIs in a win over Grand Haven.

Last Saturday Huffman and his teammates had a special treat, playing at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Huffman pitched the last two innings of a doubleheader against Grandville, striking out five or the six hitters he faced.

A good part of a pitcher’s challenge is mental, simply knowing that he has the stuff gain the upper hand on hitters. Huffman says he has gained that kind of confidence this season, and it’s made a big difference.

“That’s how you get to be dominant,” he said. “You’ve got to be confident in yourself and be mentally strong to dominate your opponents.”

Hoffman’s velocity has been off the charts for a high school pitcher. He hit 93 mph over the winter and has generally been in the 88-90 mph range throughout the season, Bard said.

That kind of fastball in high school, and his overall success, has several Division 1 colleges already checking out the junior, according to the coach.

Huffman says he’s open-minded at this point about where he will play college baseball.

“I’m just waiting for the offer that feels like home and is the best fit for me and my family,” he said.

There will probably be numerous college scouts at Mona Shores next Tuesday, when the Sailors host a very good Reeths-Puffer team in an O-K Green conference showdown. Huffman is scheduled to pitch that day and says he can’t wait.

“Hopefully our team is swinging good bats, and defensively we’re sound,” Huffman said. “My whole team is ready to take them on. They have a good solid team and it will be a good series.”