January 14, 2023
Senior aces Gibby Marshall-Inman and Jacob Gabler enter the state regionals having allowed just 7 earned runs over 102 innings.
Most high school baseball teams would consider themselvesfortunate to have one dominant ace.
Edmonds-Woodway has two.
With senior right-handers Gibby Marshall-Inman and Jacob Gablermowing down opposing lineups all season long, the Warriors don’t just possess aone-two punch.
As their coaches like to say: It’s 1a and 1b.
“I’ve never had a combo like this since I’ve been coaching here atEdmonds-Woodway,” said Warriors coach Dan Somoza, who’s in his 14th season atthe helm. “It basically is two aces on one staff.
“You’ve got your 1a and 1b — and it doesn’t matter. Each one ofthem pushes each other, challenges each other, and it’s fun to watch.”
Marshall-Inman and Gabler have combined for an eye-popping 0.48earned-run average this season, surrendering a total of just seven earned runsin 102 innings pitched.
They’ve struck out a whopping 45.8% of the batters they’ve faced,while walking just 10.9%.
And this postseason, the two 6-foot-6 hurlers have been nearlyuntouchable.
Marshall-Inman and Gabler — who’ve pitched 33.1 of 34.1 inningsfor Edmonds-Woodway during the playoffs — haven’t allowed an earned run allpostseason. As a result, the Warriors have allowed just three runs combined intheir five playoff games.
“They strike out so many guys, so (we) don’t have to field manyballs,” Somoza said. “But not only that — they don’t walk a lot of guys too. Sothey don’t give other teams many chances.
“And when (opponents) are only putting the ball in play six orseven times a game, I like our percentages.”
With Marshall-Inman and Gabler leading the way, Edmonds-Woodway ismaking its fourth consecutive Class 3A state regional appearance.
The No. 15 seed Warriors (15-10) face No. 2 seed Lake Washingtonat 10 a.m. Saturday at Mount Si High School. The winner then faces either No. 7seed Lynnwood or No. 10 seed Mt. Spokane later in the day for a trip to nextweek’s 3A state final four in Pasco.
“When they’re on the mound, we always have a chance to compete andwin games,” Somoza said. “And they give us that every time — every single time.
“They don’t take pitches off. And I think that’s what makes themincredible pitchers — their focus. They’re gamers. They pound the strike zoneand they compete.”
Marshall-Inman and Gabler are longtime friends who have beenplaying together for years.
They played on back-to-back state championship teams with thePacific Little League All-Stars, winning the 10-and-11-year-old state title in2015 and the 12-year-old state crown in 2016. Their 2016 team reached theNorthwest Regionals and came within one win of advancing to the Little LeagueWorld Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Since then, Marshall-Inman and Gabler have spent most summersplaying on the same select teams.
Marshall-Inman went to King’s High School for his freshman andsophomore years, but joined Gabler at Edmonds-Woodway after transferring midwaythrough high school.
“To share the success with him, it means a lot to me,” Gablersaid. “For both of us to be playing like this … at our full potential rightnow, it’s honestly kind of like a brotherhood between us.
“We’re picking up each other, we’re always supporting each other,and it’s allowing us to feed off each other and just continue to pitch betterand better.”
Gibby Marshall-Inman, playing first base in this photo, is anOregon State commit and one of the state’s top senior pitching recruits.(Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Marshall-Inman, who is committed to national powerhouse OregonState University, is one of the state’s top senior pitching recruits.
He sports a polished delivery and a lethalfastball-changeup-curveball mix. His heater touches 90 mph and sits in the high80s, according to Somoza, and he can consistently throw both of his offspeedpitches for strikes.
Marshall-Inman has a 0.56 ERA in 50 innings pitched this season,including an ongoing streak of 25 consecutive innings without allowing an earnedrun. He has totaled 73 strikeouts and just 25 walks, with a 38.9% punchout rateand a .064 opponents’ batting average.
Marshall-Inman threw a no-hitter against Shorewood on March 23 anda one-hit shutout in a district quarterfinal win over eventual state qualifierStanwood on May 7.
“He has an outstanding changeup and a curveball that he can throwfor strikes at will,” Somoza said. “And I think that’s what makes him reallytough. He’s a competitor and he has that ability to throw any of those pitchesfor strikes.
“So you have to respect his fastball, because he throws reallyhard. But also in the back of your mind, you’re thinking about that curve orthat changeup. … He’s just your prototypical real smooth guy.”
Gabler, meanwhile, is more of a power pitcher. He leans on ablazing fastball that touches 92 mph, according to Somoza, and he mixes in ahard curveball.
Gabler, a Bellevue College commit, has a 0.40 ERA in 52 innings.He has an absurd 52.6% strikeout rate, with 103 punchouts and just 17 walks. Andhe’s tossed 37 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, dating backto his third outing of the season on March 31.
Jacob Gabler has struck out more than half the batters he’s facedthis season. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Gabler spun a no-hitter against Cascade on April 27, finishingjust a walk away from a perfect game. He pitched a three-hit shutout in adistrict play-in victory over Shorewood on May 6.
And in Edmonds-Woodway’s 2-1 extra-inning win over Gig Harbor inTuesday’s 3A state play-in round, he struck out 14 of the 25 batters he facedin a dazzling seven-inning performance that helped keep the Warriors’ seasonalive.
“He’s a real bulldozer,” Somoza said. “He’s got an overpoweringfastball and he just comes right at guys. … And he’s got that downward anglewhere that ball is just coming straight down and really tough to hit.
“And then when he needs to, he’s got that good curveball too. Butfor the most part, he just tries to overpower guys. And he does.”
Both pitchers have benefited from recent velocity increases.
Marshall-Inman, who began taking pitching lessons around age 10,said he wasn’t a high-velocity pitcher growing up. He said that helped him inthe long run by forcing him learn the intricacies of pitching.
“It’s nice being able to know how to sequence and have a goodthree-pitch mix,” he said.
But as a sophomore in 2020, Marshall-Inman made some mechanicalchanges that included altering his arm path and improving his body rotation. Itpaid major dividends, ultimately leading to his first big velocity spike.
“I was able to hit a velo jump that I never really had in thepast,” he said.
Gabler, meanwhile, pitched on Edmonds-Woodway’s junior varsityteam as a freshman. By his own admission, he said he didn’t throw “super fast.”
But during his sophomore year, Gabler hit the weight room hard andbulked up. As a result, he said his fastball velocity increased to around 85mph by last year’s abbreviated high school season.
Gabler ended up being sidelined with bicep tendonitis for much oflast season, as well as most of last summer.
But after returning to health, he worked with his pitching coachto improve his mechanics and overall body mobility. That resulted in anothervelocity spike, which led to his dominance this spring.
“These two guys have put in a lot of hard work, and the resultsare showing it,” Somoza said. “It’s incredible. I haven’t seen anything like itfor quite a while.”
Marshall-Inman and Gabler also are two of the Warriors’ tophitters. Marshall-Inman, more of a spray hitter, is batting a team-high .412with 10 extra-base hits. Gabler, more of a power hitter, is batting .380 with12 extra-base hits.
“They’re both outstanding hitters,” Somoza said.
As the No. 15 seed, Edmonds-Woodway is technically the underdogheading into Saturday’s four-team state regional at Mount Si. But with Marshall-Inmanslated to take the mound against Lake Washington and Gabler in line to start ifthey reach the regional final later in the afternoon, the Warriors like theirchances.
After all, these potential doubleheader playoff situations tend tofavor teams with two quality pitchers.
Or in Edmonds-Woodway’s case, two elite ones.
“You’ve got as good a shot as any with two horses like that,”Warriors assistant coach Will Budnick said.
