The Lobos (3-1) opened up their season with a four game series at Hawai’I this past weekend. Sometimes, playing at a place like Hawai’i for the first four games of the season can hurt, as you are too excited to be in such a place that you lose sight of playing baseball. The Lobos didn’t allow the distraction of being in Hawai’i get in the way of having a very good weekend on the diamond. The Lobos won the games on Friday, Sunday and Monday, only dropping the game on Saturday in the eleventh inning. It was a very impressive weekend for the Lobos, making me excited for the season and to watch the three games this weekend against a solid Wichita State program.
Pitchers Performances:
Starters:
Game One: Junior left-hander Carson Schneider (1-0) went 5 innings with 2 strikeouts, while allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Schneider did a great job in his season opening start by making it to the fifth inning and only then running into trouble by allowing his two runs. I think that it probably had something to do with fatigue, so it will be interesting to see how he progresses, as he should be able to go deeper into games as the season goes along. If Schneider is able to pitch like this or even better, he and the Lobos will have a lot of success.
Game Two: Sophomore right-hander Tyler Stevens (0-0) went 5 innings with 5 strikeouts, while allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks. The Freshman All-American from a year ago, Stevens did a good job of not allowing hard contact for most of his start. However, his problems revolved around the 5 walks he issued. I will chalk it up as first-game control issues and we should see a better Stevens on Saturday. He didn’t factor in to the decision, but it was great to see the fight he had when he was in tough spots.
Game Three: Senior lefty Colton Thomson (1-0) went 6 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts, while allowing only 2 hits and a walk. It is nice to see Thomson have such a strong first game, especially coming back from injury a year ago. He probably could have gone deeper into the game, but the Lobos had such a huge lead it wasn’t necessary. This allowed Coach Birmingham to keep his innings down early in the year. I don’t expect Thomson to have a 0.00 era for the year, but if Thomson is able to not allow many free baserunners, he could be in for a very special season.
Game Four: Sophomore right-hander James Harrington (1-0) went 7 innings with 3 strikeouts, while allowing one run on 4 hits, 1 walk and a hit batter. Harrington made a case to be a starter this season with this great opener. While I don’t know if he will be in the weekend rotation, he adds great depth if one of the three weekend starters gets hurt. Harrington, at the very least, will be a great midweek starter that will allow the Lobos to pick up key midweek wins.
Relief Pitchers:
Senior righty Victor Sanchez (0-1, 1 save) was the tough-luck losing pitcher in the game on Saturday, despite pitching great in the 10th inning of the game. From what I saw, it looks like Sanchez is back to his sophomore form. His line for the week in two appearances: 1 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts, while allowing 1 run on 2 hits and a walk. If Sanchez is able to be a lock-down closer, this team will have a chance to be special.
Junior left-hander Fernando Fernandez pitched well for most of his action this weekend, running into trouble in just one inning. His line for the week in two appearances: 3 innings with 2 strikeouts, while allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk. He will be counted on as a key lefty out of the bullpen, and possibly be a midweek starter.
Sophomore left-hander Luis Gonzalez didn’t have the best weekend on the mound, but didn’t allow any runs to score in his one inning of work. His line for the weekend: 1 scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts, while allowing 4 hits and two walks. Gonzalez had played the first three games in centerfield, so that could be the reason for the struggle on the mound, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him play centerfield during the weekend, and pitch during the midweek.
Senior right-hander Drew Bridges was able to throw strikes and had his heavy sinking fastball working to have a good first appearance of the season. His line for the weekend: 1 scoreless inning with 1 strikeout, while allowing just 1 walk. If he is able to throw strikes, he will be a key part of the Lobos bullpen and could end up being one of the setup guys.
Senior left-hander Alex Estrella made quick work in his one appearance of the week, not allowing anything in his one inning of work. Estrella will be counted on as one of the many lefty relievers this season for the Lobos.
Freshman right-hander Christian Tripp was really good in his first appearance in a Lobo uniform. Tripp’s run allowed was on a runner reaching on a strikeout. His line for the week: 1 1/3 innings with 1 strikeout, allowing one run, on no hits. Tripp has a chance to be a very special college pitcher when it is all said and done.
Freshman left-hander Austin Isenhart pitched very well for the Lobos in his two appearances: in 3 2/3 scoreless innings, he picked up 4 strikeouts, while allowing 3 hits and two walks. It is nice to see the trust that Coach Birmingham already has in Isenhart and Tripp, and they could see their roles expand as the year goes along.
Hitters:
Each week, I will focus on the Lobo hitters that had great impact on the weekend
Junior first baseman Jack Zoellner: What a start for Zoellner, who probably would have been Conference Player of the Week if the series had ended on Sunday. This may go down as one of the best weekends I have ever seen from a hitter. In the four games, Zoellner was 8 for 16 (.500) and had seven walks, giving him and OBP of .652. He had 3 doubles and a home run while driving in 4 runs and scoring 6 runs. I think we are in for a special season from Zoellner.
Senior shortstop Dalton Bowers: Got the start at shortstop in each of the four games, and he rewarded Coach Birmingham with great offense this weekend. If he is able to hit anywhere close to as well as he did this weekend, he will certainly be the everyday shortstop. On the weekend, Bowers was 7 for 15 (.467) and drew 4 walks, which had his OBP at .579. He had a double, scored a run, and had 5 runs batted in. Not a bad weekend for your number 9 hitter.
Senior second baseman Michael Eaton: Eaton proved how valuable he will be for the Lobos. Hitting in the two spot of the lineup, he was able to get on base regularly to allow the middle of the order to do some damage. On the weekend Eaton was 8 for 19 (.421) and drew 3 walks for his .500 OBP. He had two doubles and a home run, scoring 5 runs and had a run batted in.
Scattered Thoughts:
- The Lobo offense had a great first week, in general. Eaton and Zoellner both had impact weekends, which isn’t a surprise, but the production from Bowers, Scottie Graham, and Jared Holley was a pleasant surprise. The Lobos didn’t get great production from Carl Stajduhar, Chris DeVito, Gonzalez, and Jared Mang, but I expect each of them to come around soon. If the Lobos are able to get those four going, along with a healthy Danny Collier, this Lobo offense will be one of the best in the country.
- Speaking of Collier, he will only see time as a pinch hitter right now, but he is great in that role. With his great contact skills, he will always be a tough out. This week in three pinch hit at-bats, Collier was 2 for 3.
- Coach Birmingham will have to make some decisions when it comes to who is going to catch. Graham is the best defensive catcher on the team, and if he continues to hit as well as he did this weekend, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get two starts in a three game series. DeVito needs to have impact with the bat or he could find his role diminished.
- Coach Birmingham shuffled his outfield lineup this weekend, with only Jared Mang getting a start every game in left. Gonzalez got the first three starts in center, Weber had two starts in right and started Monday’s game in center, while Andre Vigil had two starts in right. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is how the outfield plays out until Collier is able to return and take over in left. Coach Birmingham will have to find places to play Mang, but he will be in the everyday lineup.
- I really liked how the Lobos didn’t use a relief pitcher more than twice in the four game series, as it is a long season and you don’t want to get too reliant on a couple of relief pitchers to where they wear down. Giving opportunities to freshman early on gives you a chance to see what you have with them, and can help them become key cogs in your pitching staff. In the four games the Lobos used 11 pitchers total, including two freshmen.
Upcoming Series:
Up next, the Lobos open their home schedule with a three game series against Wichita State. There will be a game Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon. We will have our series preview to get you ready for the game soon, so be on the lookout for that. It will be great weather for baseball and a great chance to support this Lobo team.