The dilemma in February became a strength in May.
"I thought we had a pretty good collection of talent, but the big question mark was who would carry us on the mound," said Steve Garland, who has coached East Hamilton to its first baseball state tournament after three sectional visits the past five seasons.
Hunter Smith was a known commodity, having been a starter in 2014, but sophomore Nick Woods was coming off reconstructive knee surgery and Nick Fahler, well, Fahler previously was the Hurricanes' catcher and a part-time reliever.
"That was a bad plan -- just didn't work," said Garland, whose team won the District 5-AAA tournament and now stands 21-12 entering its state tournament opener against perennial power Farragut. "I did not know the commodity I had as a pitcher."
Garland says now that using Fahler as a reliever after five or six innings behind the plate wasn't the best of ideas.
"It just didn't work. Practically, show me a guy that can catch and then give him the ball and expect him to be his best (on the mound) in the seventh," the coach said.
He calls Fahler a huge story.
East Hamilton baseball coach Steve Garland coaches 3rd base during their prep baseball game against Soddy-Daisy on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, at East Hamilton High School in Ooltewah."He made himself a pitcher. He spent summer ball and fall ball pitching, and he worked with (East Hamilton pitching coach) Josh Coppinger the whole preseason," Garland said.
"The way we use our pitchers was never about priority but what best fit the team. We didn't cram Nick into the Monday pitching role so much because he was top dog but so he'd be fresh and on good legs on Monday and then catching on Tuesday," Garland added.
"Yeah, definitely," Fahler replied when asked if his pitching career had blossomed. "Since the beginning of the season I've been much better, and all of it is Coach Copp and Coach Garland giving me the chance."
It has worked out well with Fahler and Smith carrying the load early while Woods progressed after being released from rehab right at six months following his surgery.
Fahler has been a team guy from the outset, as reflected by the Hurricanes selecting him and Matt Milita as captains.
And the senior, who's bound for Carson-Newman to become a full-time pitcher, has done well. He entered the region championship game with five wins and a couple of no-decisions. He doesn't yet overpower batters but rather tantalizes them.
"I throw a lot of strikes. I try to get in the zone and I'm not afraid to go inside," he said. "I try to work the corners and get the soft grounders or pop-ups. If I get a strikeout, then I get a strikeout."
When asked what had surprised him the most about the 2015 Hurricanes, he had a no-hesitation reply.
"The work ethic and the way we have handled ourselves," he said. "We were trying to find ourselves early, and then everything started to click about a week before the district tournament. I'm happy with the way we've done it. We have come through adversity, stuck together and become a good team together."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.