1/30/2016 6:39:40 PM
1/30/2016
College Baseball season kicked off at LakePoint on Saturday as a part of Perfect Game's Spring Swing series. Following a DII World Series trip in 2015, Mercyhurst University traveled down from Pennsylvania to take on Stillman College for a four game set, the first two of which took place on Saturday. Recently ranked #13 in PG's 2016 DII rankings, Mercyhurst returns star right-hander Colin Mckee as well as slugger Hank Morrison.
Coming off their strong finish a year ago, Mercyhurst Head Coach Joe Spano, remembered it fondly, "For me personally, coaching it was the greatest thing we've ever accomplished on the field." He added that, "We're hoping to build off it and keep going. We have some returners that are going to make us very deep, it's just a matter of how you mange those innings." The innings Spano mentioned are due to the graduation of starter Jon Klein who led the team in wins and was second in innings pitched. When asked about how they would adjust, Spano said, "We've always had a great bullpen, we believe in our bullpen and may have to go to it more." The core strength of Merchurst's team has always been pitching and defense. This year, Spano notes that an unlikely help could be from a deep, talented lineup. "It's definitely not going to be easy" he added, who now in his 16th year at the head of the program has his eyes set on a repeat trip to the World Series.
Top starter, Colin Mckee, toed the rubber for game one. Starting his windup from the third base side and utilizing a strong, 6'3" 230 pound frame, he worked quickly and efficiently on the mound. He opened the game hitting 92 mph with his fastball before settling in at 88-91 mph and maintaining that velocity throughout the game. He showed excellent command of the pitch, working both sides of the plate and attacking hitters up in the zone. His fastball generated consistent swings and misses as well as weak contact with good life and riding action.
Working from a three-quarter arm slot, Mckee showed a quick arm, with sharp downhill action. He started with a medium leg raise and sharp drive from his lower half towards the plate. With a short arm action and quick arm circle, he kept hitters off balance with a true three pitch mix. His slider worked in the upper 70's for most of the game, and topped out at 81 mph. With a sharp, vertical 11-5 break, the pitch acted as his put away offering. When kept low, it complimented his fastball and left hitters off-balance. For his third pitch, he worked in a changeup with good sinking action. He kept the pitch low, setting hitters up with his explosive fastball up in the strike zone. The draft eligible red shirt Junior, navigated a Stillman lineup with ease tossing five scoreless innings allowing just three hits and striking out 10 batters. His impressive control of all three pitches allowed him to not allow a walk. He left the game after the fifth inning with his club maintaining a 2-0 lead.
For video of Mckee, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyFVkmNvdtA
For Stillman, sophomore catcher Josh McDaniel led their offense. He utilized a tall frame and medium build at the plate and showed very impressive bat speed. His broad shoulders are a good sign of present strength and there is room to additionally fill out in his frame. Generating good torque through his lower half he drove a 90 mph fastball from Mckee to deep left-center field for a double that registered 105 mph off the bat. He followed that up in the 7th inning with a towering home run to left field that registered a 100 mph exit speed. His line drive swing plane and quick hands through the zone allow for consistent, hard contact with a pull oriented approach.
Right-handed senior Josh Freeman earned the start for the Tigers. With a lean, wiry frame, Freeman shows present room to fill with added strength. He opened the game with an 87 mph fastball that showed good armside run and routinely sat in the mid 80's for the rest of his outing. Showing a loose arm action from a three-quarter arm slot, Freeman attacked hitters inside earning weak contact off the bats of Mercyhurst hitters. He worked in a slider that worked in the mid 70's slider that he flashed feel for, when kept low in the zone. Freeman tossed all seven innings on the mound, allowing only two runs to earn the 4-2 win for Stillman.
In game two, Mercyhurst sent out left-handed sophomore Matthew Minnick. The 6'1" 200 pound lefty looks thinner than his listed size, and with his projectable frame, he should be able to put on additional weight and strength. A true sophomore, he opened the first inning by popping the mitt with an 89 mph fastball and saw it comfortably sit in the 84-87 mph range. His fastball showed good armside life that generated weak contact throughout the start.
Minnick showed very smooth mechanics throughout his delivery, repeating well during his start. With a quick arm and loose arm action, he filled the strike zone with his assortment of pitches. He generated good extension downhill and could even incorporate more drive with his lower half down the mound.
His curveball showed to be his best secondary offering. with a 1-7 shape from the left side. With good depth and tight spin, he flashes feel for the pitch. In addition to the curveball, he mixed in a slider as a second breaking pitch. He threw his curveball consistently in the low 70's with regularity. With sweeping action across the zone, he utilized it as a way to work inside to right-handed batters. Minnick appeared to have more control of his slider, that touched 80 mph, but worked primarily with his curveball and changeup after the first inning. His changeup showed late fade and sink and was able to maintain his arm speed for added deception.
In his fourth and final inning of work, Minnick escaped a two on, no out jam. He generated a weak grounder to the shortstop who quickly turned a double play and then a fly out to work out of trouble. He only allowed one hit in his four innings, but struggled with command as the game went on. He struck out two with an idea to pitch to contact.
Behind Minnick's strong outing, Mercyhurst evened the opening weeekend series with a 2-0 win. The two teams will face off for another double header tomorrow at LakePoint.