Player of the Week: Paul Wood

September 14, 11:56 am by jpfinlay

In tournament play, pitching is widely considered the lynchpin of a team’s efforts to advance. With strong pitching, a team can go on a deep run; without it, a team barely stands a chance. Thus it should be no surprise that members of the 2008 Congressional Softball League runners-up, Raising Arizona, move fast to praise their ace, Paul Wood.

“Paul is the best pitcher in the tourney,” captain Luke Thorstenson said. “Pitching is the most important thing and we do well because he consistently hits strikes.”

Wood, the Player of the Week, has pitched for Raising Arizona for the past three years, though he has been playing softball much longer. “I’ve been playing softball for, maybe, forever?” Wood asked himself, trying to calculate just how long he has been playing. “At least 20 years.”

Wood took the mound for Raising Arizona in the squad’s first-round playoff game on Saturday, his 47th birthday. He left the mound a winner, leading Raising Arizona to a 14-4 mercy rule victory over the PPC Complexificationizers. Wood ended the game with a strikeout, shouting “I got it back” as he high-fived his catcher. “It was a nice birthday present to myself,” Wood said after the game.

With umpires calling balls and strikes during the playoffs, pitching grows in importance. Throughout the regular season, teams play without umpires, and balls and strikes are rarely called. “Come tournament play, a good pitcher makes all the difference,” League Commissioner Gary Caruso said.

Wood joined Raising Arizona as a free agent before the 2007 season, becoming the pitcher simply out of need. The move has worked out well. In the 2009 regular season Raising Arizona compiled a record of 16-3-1 on the way to the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Last year, Wood pitched for the team as they marched to the finals, only to fall short to an in-state rival, the No Talent AZ Clowns.

“Last year’s tournament was a marathon,” Wood said. “We just ran out of gas at the end. My arm was good, but the rest of my body was tired.”

Despite his allegiance to Raising Arizona, Wood is decidedly local. Born in D.C., Wood graduated from Howard University and he still lives in the District. Wood is married with two children; his oldest is scheduled to graduate from Florida State University this year.

Raising Arizona went undefeated in pod play, advancing to the second round, though its next matchup has not yet been announced. Regardless of the opponent, with Wood on the mound the team has reason to be confident.

After all, Wood has been doing this forever.

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