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KEVIN GUTTING

Hopkins Academy senior pitcher Garrison Banas, seen here against Frontier Regional in April, is 11-0 this season as his team prepares for the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Tournament which begins next week.

Garrison Banas could have spent this season at prep school.

The Hopkins Academy senior, who will attend Salisbury School in Connecticut for a postgrad year next season, was given the chance to attend this year and next.

But the left-hander decided he wanted to return for one more year with the Golden Hawks, looking to go out with a bang.

"At the time, I spoke to my coaches and parents and decided I wanted to stay at Hopkins," Banas said. "The school has been really good to me for the last couple of years.

"I wanted to try to end (my career there) nicely for my senior year, so hopefully, we'll go strong into the tournament."

While the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Tournament doesn't begin until late next week, Banas has already put together a mind-blowing regular season.

Using four standout pitches and topping out in the mid- to upper-80s on his fastball, Banas has posted an 11-0 record with two saves. He's struck out 135 batters and allowed just two earned runs (0.23 ERA) on 16 hits and 25 walks over 61 innings pitched.

It's hard to imagine many pitchers over the years having more of an impact on one team's season than Banas has had in 2011 for the Golden Hawks, who go into Friday's regular season finale with a 15-2 record (13-2 Hampshire).

"And he's never had to do it on short rest," Hopkins coach Pat Lemieux said. "He's been on four, five six days rest the entire time. That's just the way the schedule has worked out. It's been a wet spring, but it's been dry for him."

The team has also used him in relief when game days have coincided with his throw days.

Banas earned the save in Tuesday's win over Turners Falls that way. The appearance, his third in relief, filled in for what would have been a postgame throwing session otherwise.

"In my opinion, there isn't much of a difference" between throwing a bullpen session or working an inning or two in a game, Banas said. "I just go out there and try to throw my pitches and try not to think about anything else."

He showed off his toughness over the weekend, bouncing back from getting hit by a pitch on the leg against Mohawk Trail on Friday to throwing a gem Saturday.

"There was maybe a 20 percent chance he was going to pitch after" getting hit, Lemieux said. "He couldn't even walk after (Friday's) game, but he told me (Saturday) morning that he was going."

Banas responded with a 16-strikeout, five-hit performance in the team's 6-4 win at Athol.

"All my pitches were a little off due to my leg," said Banas, who hadn't allowed an earned run before giving up two in that game. "I couldn't really feel a good balance for landing; didn't have the same velocity."

Lemieux added, "It definitely was not 100 percent Garrison Banas, but it was a gutsy, gutsy performance. Out of all the games he's thrown for us, it was definitely his gutsiest start."

Banas will take the mound against second-place Easthampton on senior day Friday. A win would clinch an outright league title for the Golden Hawks, while the Eagles will earn a share of the championship with a victory.

"He's mentally tough. He knows what he has to do, what he has to get done," Lemieux said. "He spends a ton of time in the offseason and really feeds off the fact that he knows what a big role and what a big impact he has on Hopkins baseball. He's a great kid who loves baseball."

After Friday, it's on to the postseason, where Hopkins hasn't reached the sectional finals since 1990. But if anyone is up for putting together a historic postseason run, why not the ace who's wrapping up a pretty historic regular season one?

"It's kind of like a sad ending because I'm leaving my school," Banas said. "I know I want to end it with a bang."

Banas said he's ready for the challenge.

"My arm is feeling good. I take good care of it. I should be ready for the tournament. The team should be ready for the postseason. We have good players offensively and defensively and I think we'll do pretty well."

BRENNAN EARNS NATIONAL BRONZE - Hampshire Regional freshman Jennah Brennan earned third place at the 123.25 pounds at the Body Bar Women's Cadet National Championships on May 14 in Kissimmee, Fla.

Brennan, 15, of Southampton, went 4-1 with her lone loss being to the eventual champion. Her opponents did not score a single point in any of her four victories.

Brennan, who earned All-American status for her efforts, finished second in the middle school division of the competition last year.

SEEDING DATES - Western Massachusetts tournament seeding meetings are set for next week. Softball (Greenfield, 10 a.m.), baseball (Northampton, 6 p.m.) and boys and girls lacrosse (Amherst Regional, 11 a.m.) will all be held on Tuesday. The team tennis seeds will be announced Wednesday with the boys held at Sabis at 6 p.m. and the the girls at Lenox at 10 a.m.

GAME OF THE WEEK - Belchertown at South Hadley baseball, Friday, 4 p.m.

The Orioles need a win to clinch a postseason berth, but the Tigers are undefeated against Division 2 teams this season.

MISCELLANEOUS - Amherst Regional's Tchuijo Nkamebo won three events at least weekend's Division 1 track & field championship. Staff writer Michael Wilkinson talks to him about Saturday's Western Mass. meet in this week's Amherst Bulletin. ... Amherst Regional softball pitcher Emma Mendoker enters tonight's game against Northampton with 932 career strikeouts. ... The Frontier Regional girls track team ended its regular season with 99 straight dual meet victories.

Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.