Rotation possibilities endless heading into ‘07
The baseball team advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. last year, thanks in large part to a starting rotation led by Eddie Degerman’s 13-2 record and 172 strikeouts. Degerman is now gone, a fourth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, but with at least seven quality starters available on this year’s roster, head coach Wayne Graham should have no trouble putting together a solid rotation.
“We hope to build a model type staff,” Graham said. “If we get everybody healthy, we can have very good set-up and very good left and right. Some of the starters are going to be in the bullpen.”
Rice will look to junior left-hander Joe Savery to anchor the weekend rotation, but coming off of shoulder surgery, his health is a major concern. Graham will limit Savery to short outings until he and the coaching staff are positive that he is 100 percent. Short, monitored starts are typical for the Owl starting pitchers early in the year.
“It hasn’t been that different in the past,” Savery said. “It’s kind of frustrating though, because it’s going to take time to get my control back.”
Savery’s injury limited his effectiveness on the mound last year — he started only 11 games and pitched 62 innings with a 2.76 earned run average. However, if he can return to his form from two years ago, when he averaged 9.71 strikeouts per nine innings en route to an 8-5 record and Baseball America’s National Freshman of the Year award, Savery can provide a potent punch at the end of the weekend rotation.
Behind Savery, six right-handers are in position for starting roles. Junior transfer Chris Kelley is the most experienced — he posted a 16-4 record with a 2.37 ERA in two seasons at San Jacinto College. He mixes his pitches well, which makes his 89-92 mile-per-hour fastball seem harder than it is. Kelley will probably be in the weekend rotation.
Junior right-handers Bobby Bell and Will McDaniel also figure into the mix as starters. The two combined to start 22 games last season with a 15-1 combined record.
Bell entered last season as a starter but suffered an arm injury early in the year that sidelined him for about a month. This injury may have hampered him as a starter as the season went on — Bell had the highest ERA and the highest opposing batting average of all the Owl starters last year. Known for his devastating changeup, Bell improved his velocity by about three miles-per-hour last year and consistently hit the low 90s with his fastball. McDaniel made the most of his situation as a midweek starter last year, throwing almost 60 innings with a 3.34 ERA.
Bell and McDaniel have proven that they hang around the strike zone as pitchers, walking just 44 batters in more than 132 innings last season. With a strong defense behind them, Graham said limiting walks will be important for all of his pitchers.
“The kind of ball club we’ve got is a good defensive team,” Graham said. “We’ve got a fast outfield, arguably the fastest shortstop and great defensive catching. You want guys that can throw strikes.”
Senior right-hander Ryne Tacker could also figure into the rotation. He was set to be the midweek starter last season until he went down with a stress fracture that forced him to medically redshirt. Tacker tallied a 3.93 ERA in 2005, but as a starter he was 4-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 31.1 innings, holding opposing hitters to a .155 average. He will need to take advantage of any innings he gets in the early going if he hopes to be part of the weekend rotation.
Freshman Ryan Berry turned a lot of heads in fall ball with his mastery of the strike zone and four-pitch repertoire — a fastball in the mid 80s, a slider, a changeup and a devastating knuckle-curveball. Graham said Berry, an all-state pitcher from Humble High School, could become a starter.
“[Berry] uses both sides of the plate better than anybody we’ve got,” Graham said. “[His] fastballs are good because he spots them out and in, and they move. He’s got a chance because he fields his position and he is quick to the plate.”
Sophomore right-hander Matt Langwell, a transfer from Sam Houston State University, may be the early favorite as a midweek starter. Langwell pitched extremely well in the fall coming off a redshirt year following arm surgery. As a freshman in 2005, he threw 52 innings for the Bearkats in 14 appearances.
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