Flame-throwing pitching duo lead red-hot Durant

By Brandon Wright, Features Writer

PLANT CITY – It’s almost hard to fathom in a tiny town the size of Plant City.

Blaine Rowland and Chase Mobley grew up as two of the brightest prospects in this little nook of Hillsborough County. Yes, they played Little League together but after a couple All Star runs, the pair went solo.

“Nope, we never played on any travel teams or anything after (Little League),” Mobley said. “I mean I knew who he was of course, but for whatever reason, we never really crossed paths.”

The lone meetings would come on the diamond in opposing colors – Rowland wearing Durant blue and Mobley in Plant City orange.

There was respect, but no relationship.

“We just never played together,” Rowland said. “And didn’t hang out at all.”

All that changed last summer at a showcase in Hoover, Ala. Being from the same area, Rowland and Mobley were bunked in the same room. Rowland had heard the whispers Mobley was considering transferring to Durant for his senior year. Some of the Cougars had been hinting at it dating back to the end of the 2023 season.

“I was like ‘No way,’” Rowland said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

But there they were, two flame-throwing studs from the same little town but separated by so much lack of history. And face to face at the East Coast Pro Tryout, Mobley broke the news.

Durant senior and University of Florida commit Blaine Rowland, a 2023 All-813Preps First Team selection, is 5-0 mark with a 1.75 ERA and 59 strikeouts this season. 

“He said he was coming over to Durant,” Rowland said. “And from that showcase on, we hit it off right away.”

And since then, the two have been Hulk-smashing their way through Hillsborough County hitters as the Cougars are on an eight-game win streak, and combined they are hoping to help Durant to a deep state tournament run this season. Durant has reached the state final four three in program history, finishing as the 2013 runner-up (in the now-phased out Class 8A), a state semifinalist in 2015 and 2021 (in 7A).

“This is a senior-heavy team I was coming into,” Mobley said. “It has been a special year and I think the best is still ahead of us.”

Rowland, a University of Florida signee, has compiled a perfect 5-0 mark with a 1.75 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 36 innings. Not to be outdone, Mobley, an FSU signee and ranked No. 75 in MLB.com’s most-recent Top 150 Draft Prospect list, sits at 4-1, with a 1.35 ERA and a whopping 80 punchouts in 41.1 innings of work.

“I knew what Blaine had already been doing here,” Mobley said. “And I knew he would push me to be better and he has.”

Chase Mobley was ranked No. 75 on the MLB.com “Top Baseball Draft Prospect” list, updated on Monday. This season, Mobley is 4-1, with a 1.35 ERA and 80 strikeouts for Durant.

That doesn’t mean leaving before his senior season was easy. Mobley said he “was sure there was some trash talk and banter” when he left Plant City, but he took it in stride.

“I’ve known those guys most of my life and I think they were more messing with me,” he said. “There were no hard feelings.”

And Rowland, welcoming Mobley in with open arms, only made it easier.

“We just clicked right away,” he said. “But one thing I want to say about Blaine is that as good as he is on the field, he’s even better off of it. He’s an incredible person.”

And though the duo sets a high mark on the mound, the entire Cougars pitching staff has been impressive this season, with a combined staff era of 1.74 – including a 7-1, 0.19 ERA mark from fellow senior and South Florida State College signee Gehrig Graham, who has made 11 appearances with 52 strikeouts.

In the end, Mobley said he made the right decision.

“I love coach Mike (Fryrear) and those guys over (at Plant City),” he said. “Those three years meant a lot to me but at the end of the day, I had to do what’s best for me. And I couldn’t be happier.”

Nor could Rowland, who also leads the Cougars in many offensive categories including average (.529), RBI (29) and doubles (nine), while Mobley is batting .351, with 19 RBI and four homers. Both are expected to throw tonight at 7 against visiting Plant, one of the few teams to hand the Cougars (19-3) a loss this season. Plant (17-6) beat Durant 4-2 on March 13 in the Saladino Tournament. Plant, a Class 7A powerhouse, which has made back-to-back state final four appearances – including last year’s 7A runner-up finish, has won five-straight against the Cougars dating back to 2018.

“We’ve been looking forward to playing them again all year,” Rowland said. “They are one of the best teams in the County, but it’s tough to come to Durant and win. This is a different environment.”