Starting Right - The Hot Streak Continues
From an intrigue standpoint, the last two weeks of the season have been nothing short of jam-packed. Just look at everything that has happened: walk-off hits, packed stadiums, and absolutely murdering teams to a 14-game winning streak. The Coastal baseball season has been absolutely jumping. I am having a blast watching this team face challenges and come through on the other side victorious.
College baseball is unique in that there are many games, but unlike the MLB, there are gaps in the schedule. So you sit back and feel the weight of a loss or sit on your throne in victory for the 3 to 5 days between matchups. For Coastal, there has been a lot of relishing the victory. That doesn't mean they haven't faced their own unique challenges. A top 10 team, a Big Ten team that has been to the CWS, and an old rival came to the Palace. It would have been easy to drop a game here or there just in the throes of the season, but even when they were down and out, they came right back to the plate and battled.
Let's get to the awards.
Player of the week(s)
I mean, this one is pretty easy to pick, but before I get to the easy answer, I want to highlight who I THOUGHT would win this one.
Graham Brown was on track to win this award. His three distinct plays summed up his effectiveness over the past two weeks.
The walk-off against Liberty. It was absolutely electric. After being down 7-5 heading into the 9th ending, Liberty's coach gets tossed out; 2 batters later, Graham has a 2-run RBI single for the win.
As my wife Katie (and many others) calls it, the "Graham slam" against USC Upstate.
Absolutely GUNNING a Wake Forest runner out when he tried to stretch a single to a double.
Unfortunately for Graham and the purposes of this award, the obvious answer for player of the week is the Sun-Belt, NCAA Baseball, and D1 Baseball player of the week.
Blake Barthol - the human torch himself.
Good. Lord. Look at these stats.
My favorite moment from this hot streak was when, after getting hit three times by Wake Forest Pitchers, he finally got a pitch to hit and hit a three-run bomb. After that happened, I looked at my Dad, who was in the dugout, and we both Michael Jordan shrugged at each other while laughing.
I have talked about Barthol's glove several times; now he has a 3 home-run game and 10 for the season. Yeesh.
Pitcher of the Week (s)
I have debated about 4 guys over the past few hours.
Oliver Ellison, Bryce Shaffer, Henry Weycker, and Josh O'Neill.
All four have had performances worth this selection, but I think I'll have to go with Henry Weycker.
While the other guys have had incredibly high-performance moments, I love how Weycker is becoming a go-go gadget type of pitcher. He's relieved a pitcher after a tough start, was a starter, and closed out the game against Wake Forest. If you want to be a successful team, you have to have pitchers who can step in at any moment. The Virginia Tech transfer is showing some ability to be that for Coastal.
Hit of the week.
Look, we have had two walk-offs in the past week. Graham Brown and Cory Zientek are sharing this one.
Pitch of the week.
I don't have a video for this one. But trust me. Josh O'Neill had several off-speed pitches that made me giggle against Wake Forest. There was one that got the Wake Forest batter so bad that I giggled.
Stat of the week.
I want to share two stats, but I will hold off on one until the random musings portion.
The stat I currently want to share is this:
I don't know if you can do the math, but that stat means the Chanticleers are currently second in the nation in runs per game while being third overall. I have lived here and watched this team play for a lot of years now. While I am not ready to say this is the best offense I have seen at Coastal, it is currently on pace to be. In fact, 11.7 pointed out that Coastal has the chance to do something really special.
The secret to this?…. Free bases.
Coastal is currently second in the nation in HBP and fourth in walks. Don't give these guys free bases; they will punish you.
Random musings of the week(s)
Corey Zientek is playing like his hair is on fire.
So far, the reps have been split with Dean Mihos, but when Zientek had the opportunity to play against Michigan, he took advantage of it. A walk-off homer mixed with a home run the next day? Not bad. Add in being one of the fastest guys on the team, and you, sir, have a spot in the lineup.
Speaking of Dean, I really liked the defensive substitution for Jake Books of Dean in Center and Zientek in Left. Books bat needs to stay in the lineup, but those two and Brown create a very effective outfield.
Also - I don’t know who took that picture of Zientek
Getting hit by pitches is getting to the point of hilarious.
While it is great for scoring runs, Coastal has been hit 51 times, including 10 times vs. Wake!!! I don't know if this is a skill, bad luck, or bad pitching by opponents. Whatever it is, the team has proven that they are willing to eat a few pitches for some free base runners. It's not the worst move.
Josh O'Neill has some swagger.
O'Neill might only be 5 '10, but he plays like he is 6' 5. The dude pitches like a pit bull. I love the way that he swaggers off the mound. He owns his spot.
Derek Bender…. Elite baserunner?
Derek Bender is 6'1 and 235 pounds. He is not a small man, nor is he particularly fast. However, you can tell he is a coach's kid. Any time there is the chance to take an extra base, he is on it. It must be frustrating to be the other team and watch him swipe bags on you. At first, I thought it was a bit of a funny thing, but now I realize it's actually a real skill in his game.
Wake Forest… You have to be better, but thank you.
Last year, #2 Wake Forest played against Coastal and had 7 errors.
This year, #7 Wake Forest plays against Coastal and had 10 HBPs.
Man, I love the Palace.
Pulling into our normal parking spaces, Katie and I quickly realized there was a little extra juice to the Wake Forest matchup. The place was packed as we tried to get in. I even tweeted that it felt like a regional atmosphere. That wasn't a lie. The whole night, the Palace was packed, and it absolutely made a difference in the game.
We then heard we broke the regular season record for attendance.
That was special to be a part of.
That's what is special about College Baseball. It's not so big that you feel lost in the crowd, but when the community shows up and shows out, you quickly realize that you are all in this together. *Cue High School Musical song* This season has the makings of something special, but I love the community I am a part of more than anything. Where most communities rally around a local high school, this community is rallying around Coastal sports. They represent us, and in turn, the people rally behind them. There is something special about that.