Warren Central catcher Hunter Austin and ace pitcher Cody Waddell have been playing a game of tic-tac-toe lately, with Waddell’s powerful right arm as the marker and Austin’s mitt as the game grid.

Waddell has sealed his reputation with his ability to play connect three in the strike zone all year. Need to put it up in the zone on the hitter’s hands? No problem.

Down and away? No problem.

Challenge them in the heart of the zone with an 88-mph four-seam fastball that has a lot of downward momentum? No problem.

Connect three, you’re out.

Or, if Waddell badly needs a strikeout, he can go to a pitch that’s become a staple for him — especially with the count in his favor — the slider. It falls off the table, and batters have been unable to touch it. With Austin’s stellar ability to block wayward pitches in the dirt, Waddell has the confidence to throw the slidepiece in any count, in any situation. Add to the mix a nice change-up and curveball, and Waddell has a complete arsenal.

“Coach (Conner Douglas) calls the pitches and I put it right where he wants it,” Waddell said. “It’s worked out pretty good so far.”

Apparently, Waddell is also a master at understatement.

It’s made for one powerful combination and one of the best pitcher-catcher pairings in the state. So powerful that Waddell hasn’t pitched from behind on the scoreboard in Division 3-6A play. With 75 strikeouts, an ERA of 1.04 and a 6-1 record, that isn’t a surprise.

But even if an opponent gets on base, it’s not likely they slide into second safely. Austin’s improved arm has thrown out 14 would-be base stealers.

“You don’t have to even go to your knees (in your stance) because the ball is going to be right there,” Austin said, pointing to the target on his catcher’s mitt. “It’s easy to catch a guy like that because when he hits spots, there is nothing to it. You don’t have to block balls. The only time you have to block balls are the ones you call. He’s got a great fastball. Wherever you want to go (in the zone), he can go.”

Besides his defense, Austin has also been a big contributor when swinging a bat. He leads Warren County with 34 RBIs, to go along with a robust .354 average. He’s got a dozen extra-base hits — three triples, seven doubles and two home runs. With a solid backup in sophomore Chipper Leech in the fold, Austin could’ve gone elsewhere in the field or as a designated hitter to help keep his bat in the lineup. But his love of strapping on the armor of a catcher keeps him behind the plate.

“I’ve played catcher since I was 7 and it’s what I love to do,” Austin said. “I love catching and I never really get tired back there.”

The key to Waddell’s success is his competitiveness. In WC’s 2-0 win over Madison Central, he entered in his only relief appearance this season with the bases loaded and finished off the side for the save. During the division finale at Vicksburg, with WC in the lead, Waddell wanted to go in to preserve the win even though he’d already started that week. Douglas refused.

“I told him that I love him too much to do that to him. I wanted to preserve his future, which is going to be very bright,” Douglas said. “You’re not going to find a bigger competitor than him. There’s no situation too big for him.”

A lot of coaches will throw their No. 2 pitcher in the opener of a best-of-three series, but WC coach Josh Abraham doesn’t intend to mess with success. His No. 1 will be going in every Game 1 in the playoffs — beginning with tonight’s first-round opener at home against Columbus — and the Vikings feel good about their chances.

“I feel like he can win any game in a playoff series,” Abraham said. “We’re going to throw our No. 1 (Waddell) in Game 1 every time. If you win Game 1, you put a lot of pressure on that team in Game 2.”