Ashton Remily is exactly what any team wants on the mound. He is strong, lefthanded, knows the difference between throwing and pitching, and has a bulldog mentality no matter who is facing.

Add it all together and it’s no wonder why Remily is a dominant pitcher for the Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern baseball team.

“The thing with Ashton is, he’s got that work ethic,” said W-I-N coach Jeremiah Maxfield. “It’s a rarity now days to see kids that have that drive, that they want to push themselves, and it’s the attention to detail.”

While Remily has the kind of stuff to get batters out just on natural ability, he does not leave anything to chance. He studies hitting tendencies of opposing batters to help improve his odds of getting them out.

A case in point was a recent game where Remily knew he didn’t have his best stuff. Instead, he relied on his scouting report and mental toughness to have a stellar pitching performance.

“For example when we played Faulkton the other night, I could definitely tell that I was not throwing anywhere near as hard as I usually throw,” Remily said, “so I kind of just tried to pitch to contact, either jam guys or hit spots where they don’t usually hit too good, and that led to more ground outs and pop outs.”

It also led to his lowest pitch count the season en route to a victory.

“That was for sure my most efficient game,” Remily said, “and at least the game I was thinking the most, and where I need to place the ball and who’s up to bat.”

When it comes to pitching, it’s all about location, location, location, according to Maxfield.

“I tell my guys that location beats velo every day,” Maxfield said. “It doesn’t matter if you can throw it 95, you throw it down the middle, you’re going to run into a barrel. So I emphasize with my guys it’s hitting pitch locations on a multitude of pitches.”

Remily credits Maxfield, a former college and Hub City Hot Shots pitcher, for his development. From having the proper mindset to being able to snap off a curveball, the Maxfield influence is evident.

“He’s got a pretty big background in pitching. He’s also lefthanded. He really took me under his wing and kind of showed me the ropes,” Remily said. “He taught me a lot of stuff about pitching and ever since then I kind of just took off as more of a pitcher rather than position player.”

It should come as no surprise then, that Remily has evolved into another Maxfield when he takes the mound.

“He’s got that ‘it’ factor where he wants to be in those big situations. He wants to play the best team and he wants it every single game,” Maxfield said. “It’s that fire and tenacity, I think. He reminds me pretty much a lot of me in just kind of what you have to have to be a successful pitcher at any level.”

Interestingly enough, Remily lives in Aberdeen, but ended up graduating from Northwestern.

“I played for the Smittys for a while. In middle school I decided I was going to go down and play in Northville,” Remily said. “That’s where my dad and my brothers played at. I just decided to follow the family chain, I guess.”

Remily competed in both basketball and football for Northwestern, but said baseball has always been his main priority.

“I’ve always been more focused on baseball than the other sports,” he said. “Those have always been put on the back burner for me.”

Because W-I-N didn’t have a high school team two years ago, Remily played for Redfield for one spring, so he has gotten a wide variety of advice when it comes to pitching.

“I’d say a lot of people have helped me,” Remily said. “A lot of people have just given me little tips on pitches.”

No one, however, has made a bigger impact than Maxfield who has helped to ingrain a mental toughness that Remily relies on each time he takes the field.

“I think I have a pretty good mentality every time I go out there,” Remily said. “Jeremiah has taught me to have kind of a killer mentality.”

Of course, a player has to be willing to accept advice, and that has not been an issue with Remily, according to Maxfield.

“He wants to be the best and I love seeing that,” Maxfield said. “He’s so coachable and just a very high baseball IQ on him in general as well.”

When Remily isn’t mowing through opposing lineups (he had 15 strikeouts in a no-hitter against Claremont, and 10Ks in a game against Redfield), he is a first baseman.

While he is productive from both positions, he said he has a different mentality when he takes the mound.

“On days I’m pitching, I show up, I don’t want to talk to anyone. I’m completely locked in and I have that killer mindset,” Remily said. “When I’m playing first base, I’m a little more relaxed and I feel like I’m not as anxious to get out there and I’m more focused on hitting rather than pitching.”

An all-state player for W-I-N during the spring season a year ago, Remily is a key for the squad whether he is pitching, fielding or hitting.

“We have a pretty well-rounded good team in general. Having him on the mound helps a lot, and it’s not just on the mound,” Maxfield said. “When he’s at first, he’s by far our best defensive first baseman, very high game IQ, and the kid can swing it. He’s by our far our biggest power threat.”

Remily, who attends South Dakota State University, said it’s a bit different playing on a team that includes players from three different high schools, but it hasn’t been an issue for W-I-N.

“We got a good group of guys,” Remily said. “We’re all focused on baseball and we all want to go out there and win, so I think we all mesh together pretty well.”

The squad would like to play in this year’s state tournament next month. Remily knows that this will be his final chance to do so as a Legion player and prepares accordingly.

“I think that’s why, on pitching days, I’ve gotten way more serious and just really locked in,” Remily said. “I know that this is my last year, so I’ve got to make it count.”