Panther Valley’s Stephen Hood is among the best of the best from throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

Hood, who will be a senior in the fall, was part of a group of 88 of the top high school baseball players in the state vying to be one of the 26 players selected to play for Pennsylvania in the annual Big 26 Baseball Classic.

The Panther pitcher made the cut and will represent the state during a three-game series against Maryland at First National Bank Field in Harrisburg from July 20-23.

Panther Valley baseball coach Rich Evanko has observed Hood’s progression from the time he played his first varsity baseball game for the Panthers - and he’s not surprised by the honor.

“Stephen started some games for us as a pitcher when he was a freshman,” recalled Evanko. “You could see his talent even back then, but we also knew he was going to get better as he grew bigger and stronger - and he’s certainly done that.”

Hood dedicated himself to strength training in the weight room. He improved his power, especially in his legs, which helped him ramp up the velocity of his fastball.

But as overpowering as his fastball can be, Hood is far from a one-pitch pitcher.

“Stephen has great command of his curveball, and he has a nice changeup as well,” said Evanko. “Our catcher Cody Orsulak, who played in the Classic last year, wasn’t afraid to call for Stephen to throw his off-speed pitches even when he was behind in the count. I think Stephen’s ability to do that made him much more effective this past season.”

Evanko added that Hood’s composure improved through the years and no matter what happened behind him, it didn’t deter his focus on challenging hitters and throwing strikes.

For the Panthers this past season, Stephen, along with his older brother, Brad, were the pitching foundation for a team that posted a sparkling 21-3 record. Stephen finished the year with a 5-2 record and a 1.45 ERA. In 53 innings pitched, he struck out 85 and opponents batted only .188 against him.

To earn a spot on the Big 26 roster, Hood took part in an 88-player, four-hour tryout on a recent Sunday afternoon. Hitting and fielding drills took place first before pitchers got their opportunity to impress toward the end of the tryout.

Hood admitted that waiting for hours before he took the mound made him a little nervous, but he and the rest of the pitching group that numbered about 20 kept loose by long tossing and doing some occasional throwing in the bullpen.

When it was his turn to finally take the mound, he threw only 10 pitches. “We were told to throw fastballs and off-speed pitches,” he said. “They were timing our velocity on our fastballs.”

Evanko wondered how the evaluation of pitching tryouts for the Big 26 Baseball Classic was fair.

“What can a pitcher show in 10 pitches?,” he said. “I’m glad Stephen impressed them, but some pitchers throw much better in the third or fourth innings after they find their rhythm.”

Hood left the tryout without knowing if he made the team. Four days later, he received an email congratulating him for his successful tryout.

Since the rosters for the three-game series are filled with some of the best players from across the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland, there is expected to be a large contingent of college and professional scouts on hand - something that could benefit Hood, who hasn’t made a college decision yet.

Hood currently has trips planned to a pair of Division 1 schools for this summer.

“Right now, I’m thinking a small D-1 school or a D-2 school,” he said about his future plans. “I’ll be visiting the University of Delaware at the end of June, and also James Madison University in Virginia. I’m undecided about what I want to study, but right now criminal justice and business interest me.”

The three-game series is open to the public. Ticket prices and individual game times can be found on the Big 26 Baseball Classic’s website.