Season Preview - Pitchers
Brian Tom
2/11/2020
When Washington opens the 2020 baseball season this Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles against Loyola Marymount there will be plenty of new faces on the field for 11th-year head coach Lindsay Meggs and the Huskies.
Gone are two starters from the regular 2019 weekend rotation – right-handed aces Josh Burgmann and Jordan Jones – plus the team’s leader in appearances, Chris Micheles. Also missing is the Huskies’ All-Pac-12 catcher, Nick Kahle, and steady veteran starters Ben Baird, Connor Blair and Mason Cerrillo.
Despite the departure of some key contributors, there is plenty of hope on Montlake that the Huskies can exceed their predicted sixth-place Pac-12 finish by Conference coaches. With several veteran returners, an influx of new talent and the return of four mainstays from injuries, there is a prevailing theme that the Huskies can make another World Series run like they did in 2018.
“It’s a lot of new energy, which you love,” Meggs said to the media in a pre-season press conference about the new season. “When you have a lot of new bodies and a lot of young guys, there is a high-energy level at practice, which I think challenges the returning guys and older guys.
“Some of those new guys will be involved in a front-line role, so that can be unnerving for the coaching staff as they are untested. At the same time, it’s fun to coach those guys because you can’t coach them enough. We’re going to have some growing pains and there are going to be some guys learning on the fly, but that’s what makes it fun.”
Here’s a look at the 2020 UW pitching staff:
PITCHERS
On the pitching staff, not only do the Huskies have to replace Burgmann, Jones and Micheles, they are welcoming in a new leader of the group. Elliott Cribby, who pitched at UW from 2006-2008, returns to his alma mater after spending a year at Purdue University and 2014-18 at Seattle University in similar roles.
“I don’t know if there is a person in this Athletic Department that feels more affection and loyalty for this place than Elliott Cribby,” Meggs recently said. “He pitched here. His dad played here. He loves this place and has been fantastic. I couldn’t be more pleased with not just in his intensity and effort, but the skill he has shown with our pitching staff. He’s been great.”
Cribby inherited some stellar pieces to work with and added his own finishing touches to the staff with several more talented arms. There are six pitchers returning who have amassed 40 or more innings already in their UW careers. They were all key in helping UW pitchers surpass 500 strikeouts for the first time in program history. Cribby will mix those veterans with several junior college transfers and intriguing freshmen to gobble up innings on the hill.
Sophomore right hander David Rhodes (White Rock, B.C.) is the lone starter returning from 2019. He was thrown right into the fire as a freshman and compiled a 5-6 record and 4.84 ERA in 14 starts – most of which came on Friday night against the opponent’s top pitcher. He has worked on his conditioning during the offseason and will be counted on getting deeper into games in his second season. His fastball has seen an uptick and his breaking ball and changeup have definitely improved.
There are several juniors that are candidates to join Rhodes in the rotation, one of which will certainly be Stevie Emanuels (Bellevue, Wash.). The tall righty is one of the team’s most experienced arms, having seen action in 65 games during his career, but just one start. He had a 2-3 record and team-best 2.35 ERA to go along with 65 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. He has the potential to be an early-round draft pick in June, so he has a lot to prove in 2020, but he also has all the tools to be successful. He can be untouchable at times by mixing in a sinking fastball that touches 95 with a slider and curveball. Don’t be surprised to see him come out of the bullpen for an inning or two and then start a game, all in the same series.
When you have a guy like Stevie that is pretty flexible and recovers well, it’s sometimes hard to not overuse him because of how resilient he is. We have to be careful with that. But Stevie is going to start for us.Head Coach Lindsay Meggs
“The reason we had Stevie in the bullpen last year was because we wanted to use him a couple times in the bullpen during the weekend if we could,” Meggs said. “He was one of those guys that was resilient enough that he recovers. He could throw on Friday, possibly throw on Saturday, or throw on Saturday and possibly throw on Sunday.
“When you have a guy like Stevie that is pretty flexible and recovers well, it’s sometimes hard to not overuse him because of how resilient he is. We have to be careful with that. But Stevie is going to start for us.”
Junior Jack Enger (Mercer Island, Wash.) is another intimidating, tall right-hander that will be given every chance to start and contribute out of the bullpen. He has great tilt on the hill and sits comfortably at 90 to 93 with the fastball and can tick up to 95. When he mixes the fastball with the breaking ball, it can be a very uncomfortable at bat for opposing hitters. As a sophomore, he was 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 45 innings. If he can improve on those numbers, he will be an All-Pac-12 candidate in 2020.
Junior lefty Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, B.C.) is another candidate fighting for a starting role on the weekend. After two years of developing, he is coming into his own and becoming a prototypical crafty left-hander. DeCooman has added five miles per hour to his fastball, which plays well with his changeup and breaking ball. He’s made significant strides in improving conditioning and diet, so a big step – whether as a starter or reliever – is expected from DeCooman.
Several newcomers are also in the mix to make starts or find roles out of the bullpen, led by transfer Logan Gerling (Gig Harbor, Wash.). The right-hander was 15-1 in two seasons at Tacoma Community college, including an 11-0 record with a 1.49 ERA over 78.1 innings in 2019, when he was league pitcher of the year. He has a fastball that touches the low 90s and will use a breaking ball and changeup to stymie hitters. Gerling is an experienced strike thrower who pitches with a chip on his shoulder, so he’ll be a key contributor in 2020.
A pair of freshmen – Nate Weeldreyer (Federal Way, Wash.) and Alex Grioux (Lake Oswego, Ore.) – are also capable starters down the road for the Huskies. Weeldreyer has an easy fastball that touches 91 and has shown a good curve and is developing a change. Giroux is a strike-throwing machine that has a nice three-pitch mix. Both are young and will contribute on the hill in 2020, but their best baseball is definitely ahead of them.
Cribby and Meggs have plenty of other tantalizing options out of the bullpen that will make the Huskies contenders in 2020.
Senior Leo Nierenberg (Oakland, Calif.) has blossomed into a leading candidate to close games. He has experienced the gamut at the college level and leads all UW pitchers with 68 career appearances. Pro scouts love his wipeout slider and he can also hit 95 with the fastball, making him an ideal college closer candidate. If he can harness his changeup and be a three-pitch monster, he’ll give hitters plenty of fits at the end of games.
“Leo is a guy that has closer stuff,” Meggs said. “We think in terms of just intangibles – this is year four for him, he’s a really bright kid, he’s a really academic kid. So just in terms of the preparation, he understands what we are trying to do.”
Junior Dylan Lamb (Seattle, Wash.) is another veteran arm that has improved since he last took the mound for the Huskies in 2019. He has increased his velocity and Cribby has worked with him on honing his three-quarters delivery. The changes have been evident in fall and spring practices and he’ll be a great candidate to surprise outsiders in 2020.
Junior Jonathan Schiffer (Irvine, Calif.) spent his first two years as the Huskies’ starting first baseman, including during their 2018 College World Series run. But after a pair of concussions in 2019, he will try his hand on the hill. He put up good numbers as a pitcher at Mater Dei High School and has been a strike-throwing machine when given opportunities in practice.
Three more JC arms round out the Huskies’ pen: Gabe Smith, and two-way players Davis Delorefice and Karl Koerper. Smith (Everett, Wash.) is like Lamb and comes at hitters from a three-quarter angle. He hits low 90 on the fastball and mixes that with a slider. He will definitely have a role of entering high-leverage situations and getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground.
Delorefice (Fairfield, Calif.) is slated to be the Huskies’ starting left fielder but has emerged as a legitimate two-way threat. He’s been lights out in the spring with a sinking fastball that comes downhill. He also has a wipeout slider and feel for the changeup. Koerper (Las Cruces, N.M.) is a left-handed power hitter that will be counted on to be one of the team’s biggest power sources, but he’ll also be a matchup on the mound against left-handers. He is still learning on the hill, but he already has a wipeout slider that will play against college bats.