Masterful McAbee

By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com

Colin McAbee had a senior season for the ages.

If not for the Woodruff Wolverines’ ace pitcher taking a leap of faith and being willing to change positions, his record-breaking final campaign may never have happened.

Colin was one of the Wolverines’ stars, but having always been a catcher, pitching was something he was never asked to do. But, when head coach Wesley Brown asked McAbee to be the anchor of the Wolverines’ starting rotation for the 2024 season, the senior had no hesitations about taking on the task.
“(Pitching) wasn’t really that hard for me to master,” said McAbee. “I was always a catcher, and even playing that position, it is about hitting spots when you throw. I saw it as the same thing, just from a different perspective.”

Colin was so good, in fact, he set a school record that may never be broken. McAbee finished his senior season with an earned run average of 0.15, a staggering statistic for any level of baseball, and dominated opponents in the most convincing of ways.

He knew from his first start that he was a natural.

“Really, my first start against Blue Ridge, it was three up, three down in the first inning and I struck out all three guys,” he recalled. “That was my first time really pitching. I was given a shot, and I just went from there.”

McAbee had pitched before, but only in emergency situations and rarely as a starter. He pitched less than eight combined innings over his first two seasons of varsity baseball. A talented catcher, his arm was better served behind the plate and in the batter’s box.

As a sophomore, he belted two home runs and drove in 12 while batting .283. When head coach Wesley Brown took over the Wolverines’ program in 2023, he saw McAbee’s potential as a pitcher, and when the need for a dependable starter arose, he knew where to turn.

“Colin is one of those kids who bought into what we were doing from day one,” said Brown. “He was the best all-around player on the team, and other players look up to him. He was an obvious choice when we needed somebody to step up.”

Colin was utterly dominant from the start. In an early season tilt against 5A’s top-10-ranked and undefeated Boiling Springs, McAbee fired a one-hit, complete-game shutout as Woodruff defeated the Bulldogs 1-0.

In his next start, he dealt six two-hit shutout innings against another 5A top-10 ranked team in J.L. Mann. Coach Brown knew then that Colin had an opportunity for a special year.

“He might not have the velocity on his pitches that some of the big-time prospects do, but Colin’s understanding of the game is as good as anyone I have coached,” Brown added. “His knowledge is at an elite level. He was the best pitcher in Spartanburg County.”

For McAbee, he saw those two vaunted teams as just another lineup to shut down. He was never going to be intimidated.

“It was just another game,” stated McAbee. “No matter who they are, they put their pants on the same way we do. I approached it with the same mentality, no matter who we are playing. But those two games let us know as a team we had a chance to be pretty good.”

During region play, in an immensely important start against reigning 3A state champion Clinton, McAbee hurled a complete game three-hit shutout during a 3-0 Woodruff win, and with critical playoff seeding on the line, he again dominated powerful Union County in a 5-1 victory. But it was a freak play against the Yellow Jackets that cost Colin a chance at an impossible statistic.

“I had a zero ERA going into that start,” he explained. “If we won, we would be in a great spot for the play-offs. We were up 5-0 in the sixth inning, and I had a no-hitter. They had a runner on first, and the next guy hit one down the left-field line that everyone thought was foul so nobody went after it. The ump called it fair, and they scored their only run. It was the only earned run I gave up all season.”

Simply put, nobody could hit him. Every time he took the mound, decimated opposing line-ups were left in McAbee’s wake.

Colin’s only loss, unfortunately, would be against Fountain Inn in a playoff game that saw Woodruff’s season come to an end. Even in the loss, he did not give up an earned run. Those were a stat you would be hard-pressed to find beside his name.

During the 2024 season, McAbee surrendered only one earned run in 48 innings pitched. That’s an unbelievable average of just 0.15 earned runs allowed over seven regulation innings.

The previous single-season ERA record of 0.19, recorded by Jerry Burdette in 1960, had stood for 64 years. Most assumed it was an untouchable mark. McAbee not only touched it, but he struck it out and added his name to a page in the record book, where it will likely remain forever.

His final career ERA, 1.29, ranks fourth all-time in Woodruff history as well. McAbee pitched 81 1/3 innings in his career. All but eight of them came in his final two seasons.

“I was confident every time I stepped on the mound,” Colin said. “It always felt natural.”

Coach Brown says it was amazing to watch every time McAbee pitched. In his long coaching career, it was unlike anything he had seen before.

“It was unbelievable to watch,” Brown said. “I have coached a long time and at every level and it is the best pitching performance I have seen in high school from start to finish.”

Colin McAbee went from a young catcher with lots of potential to becoming a force that batters were terrified to face. Baseball is a game of chances. McAbee took his and gained a piece of Woodruff baseball immortality in the process.

Colin said that if he one day has a son, he hopes to inspire him to be fearless and never miss a chance to help his team.

“I would tell him, if he decides to pitch, just go have fun,” he said. “That’s what I did. Ultimately, it was just fun. I am grateful to have the record, but it was never about stats, only pitching and picking up the guys behind me.”