No surprise from Surprise - No. 2 ranked Beavers on a roll
Feb 19, 2018 21:07:32 GMT -8
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Post by chinmusic on Feb 19, 2018 21:07:32 GMT -8
OSU rolled through the Collegiate Baseball Classic Tournament like Hurricane Orange. The Beavers put their powerful game on display for 4 days with an offensive and defensive effort worthy of the Nation's number 2 ranking. The Beavers clearly outclassed the field in preparation for the upcoming P-12 v B-10 Challenge Tourney. The level of competition will ratchet up now with Ohio State (3-1) and Nebraska (3-1) providing a stronger test. The Challenge begins Thursday when OSU is scheduled to start Luke Heimlich against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Notes from today's 15-3 win over New Mexico:
1. PC made several lineup changes today. Rutschman played 1B, Taylor caught, Grenier played 2B, Madrigal played SS, Gretler moved back to 3B, Kwan, Larnach and Anderson played the outfield and Malone was the DH. Nobach, Zalesky, Casey, Willy and Clayton came off the bench and saw action.
2.The Beaver bats stayed hot as OSU rapped out 18 hits with 4 walks and a hit batsman. I'll leave the individual stats, they're available on the OSU official site. Kwan continues to rip the ball, using the entire diamond to his advantage. Madrigal showed why he is one of the best players in college baseball. 4 hits, a base on balls, a double and 2 RBI, perfectly executed double plays and a circus catch over his head, going back towards CF. Anderson had 3 hits with Rutschman, Gretler, Taylor and Kwan all chipping in with 2.
3. Some observations - would like to see Grenier take fewer pitches and protect with two strikes. He took two called 3rd strikes today. He's a better hitter than that. Rutschman's aggressive approach at the plate is paying big dividends. He's putting it in pay on every at bat. Scouts are commenting! Taylor, Gretler and Anderson are the same dependable guys they were last year - reliable and consistently play to the level of their ability. Larnach cooled off today with an 0-3, 2 walk day. Trevor has a hole in his swing and I thought UNM pitchers exploited it - they struck him out twice. He's not getting much to hit.
4.Pitching in a nutshell. Gambrell pitched 3 complete and faced two batters in the 4th before leaving with an arm injury. His fastball touched 93 once and sat on 91-92 consistently. Grant has a good breaking ball but it's inconsistent. He hangs a few and doesn't throw it consistently for strikes. Not a bad outing giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. Britton came on, worked 4 innings of shutout ball giving up 3 hits with a BB and 2 K's. Pounded the strike zone with 90% fastballs and was consistently at 90 mph. No breaking ball today. Nice job and very efficient. Dakota Donovan pitched the final 2 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit while walking 2 and striking out 1. Tall with length and a loose motion. Threw 87 mph fastballs, a good breaking pitch but like Burns yesterday, needs to get his mechanics in sync. Smoothing out the delivery will help.
A final note on pitching. We all love velocity but something to remember. It can register 100 mph and if there isn't movement, it isn't worth much. If it doesn't tail, sink or hop, it won't take you far in pro ball.
Velocity will get you drafted, but movement combined with location will get you to the Show. So, the next time you watch the Beavs play, take note of "life" on the fastballs.
Notes from today's 15-3 win over New Mexico:
1. PC made several lineup changes today. Rutschman played 1B, Taylor caught, Grenier played 2B, Madrigal played SS, Gretler moved back to 3B, Kwan, Larnach and Anderson played the outfield and Malone was the DH. Nobach, Zalesky, Casey, Willy and Clayton came off the bench and saw action.
2.The Beaver bats stayed hot as OSU rapped out 18 hits with 4 walks and a hit batsman. I'll leave the individual stats, they're available on the OSU official site. Kwan continues to rip the ball, using the entire diamond to his advantage. Madrigal showed why he is one of the best players in college baseball. 4 hits, a base on balls, a double and 2 RBI, perfectly executed double plays and a circus catch over his head, going back towards CF. Anderson had 3 hits with Rutschman, Gretler, Taylor and Kwan all chipping in with 2.
3. Some observations - would like to see Grenier take fewer pitches and protect with two strikes. He took two called 3rd strikes today. He's a better hitter than that. Rutschman's aggressive approach at the plate is paying big dividends. He's putting it in pay on every at bat. Scouts are commenting! Taylor, Gretler and Anderson are the same dependable guys they were last year - reliable and consistently play to the level of their ability. Larnach cooled off today with an 0-3, 2 walk day. Trevor has a hole in his swing and I thought UNM pitchers exploited it - they struck him out twice. He's not getting much to hit.
4.Pitching in a nutshell. Gambrell pitched 3 complete and faced two batters in the 4th before leaving with an arm injury. His fastball touched 93 once and sat on 91-92 consistently. Grant has a good breaking ball but it's inconsistent. He hangs a few and doesn't throw it consistently for strikes. Not a bad outing giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. Britton came on, worked 4 innings of shutout ball giving up 3 hits with a BB and 2 K's. Pounded the strike zone with 90% fastballs and was consistently at 90 mph. No breaking ball today. Nice job and very efficient. Dakota Donovan pitched the final 2 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit while walking 2 and striking out 1. Tall with length and a loose motion. Threw 87 mph fastballs, a good breaking pitch but like Burns yesterday, needs to get his mechanics in sync. Smoothing out the delivery will help.
A final note on pitching. We all love velocity but something to remember. It can register 100 mph and if there isn't movement, it isn't worth much. If it doesn't tail, sink or hop, it won't take you far in pro ball.
Velocity will get you drafted, but movement combined with location will get you to the Show. So, the next time you watch the Beavs play, take note of "life" on the fastballs.
