OHIO STATE Pitcher's control as good as it gets

Scott Lewis has become one of the premier pitchers at the college level.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Scott Lewis is unassuming during a casual conversation. When he steps to the mound for Ohio State, he looks like any other 19-year-old college pitcher.
Then magic happens. No one is really certain why.
"I'm just out there trying to win games," Lewis said in a soft voice. "I'm not shooting for strikeout totals or anything like that."
Sophomore
The left-handed sophomore from Washington Court House doesn't have the velocity of Randy Johnson, the movement of Pedro Martinez or the tenacity of Roger Clemens.
All Lewis does is strike out batters in clusters -- and win.
He set Ohio State's school record with 20 strikeouts while allowing only two hits and one walk against Iowa. Then he came back with 16 strikeouts in 71/3 innings against Indiana while giving up three runs, three hits and five walks.
He has become one of the premier pitchers at the college level.
"The stats are just incredible. You look at them and you just shake your head," Ohio State pitching coach Pat Bangston said. "He's at just under two strikeouts an inning and the number of hits he's given up are incredible.
"He was obviously dominant against Iowa with 20 strikeouts. The following weekend his command was really not as good as we've seen and he still punched out 16."
After going 8-2 with a 2.84 ERA as a freshman, Lewis came into this season with the somewhat unrealistic goal of not losing a game.
Statistics
He is 7-0 with a 1.24 ERA. A strikeout an inning is considered exceptional at any level and Lewis has struck out 104 batters in 651/3 innings. His control has been exceptional with just 18 walks. And opponents have only mustered 34 hits off of him.
"Scott Lewis is special," Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. "He certainly has the mind-set or the temperament to be a quality pitcher. There's no peaks or valleys with his attitude. He does a great job when things kind of fall apart behind him -- he forgets about it and just worries about the next pitch."
Research by Ohio State's sports information office determined that Lewis' 36 strikeouts in consecutive starts has never been matched in college baseball. The Buckeyes' most famous pitching alum, Steve Arlin, struck out 20 in Ohio State's 1-0, 15-inning victory over Washington State in the 1965 College World Series. The Buckeyes won the title the next year behind Arlin's long left arm.
Bangston said Lewis has smooth mechanics, hides the ball well and has outstanding command of both his fastball and curve. Todd called Lewis' breaking ball a "big-league" pitch and then said his fastball was just as good.
"The amazing thing about it is in the first inning he pitches at 88 to 90 mph," Todd said. "In the ninth inning he's still throwing 88 and 90. People will come and watch him and they'll go, 'That's a quality breaking ball.' Yet he's still getting people out with his fastball."
Explanation
Lewis said he has no clear idea why he has been so unhittable, then unravels this scenario for leaving batters swinging at thin air: "Spotting the fastball on the corners early in the count and then mixing in the curveballs at the right time. If I'm up 0-2 in the count, it's probably going to be a breaking ball in the dirt and they're going to chase it. If they lay off it, then I may come back with it again or maybe bust them in with a fastball on the inside corner. Other than that, I'm just throwing pitches and hoping they don't hit a laser off of me."