University of Minnesota Athletics
Young Staff Works to Produce Early Results
12/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Ty McDevitt returned to the Gopher Baseball program as pitching coach last season after a previous five-year career as a student athlete for the Maroon & Gold. Now with a year under his belt as coach, McDevitt is tasked with teaching a young pitching staff the collegiate game ahead of the 2018 campaign.
The 2017 Minnesota pitching staff included several upper classmen with a great deal of experience that many transitioned into the professional ranks this past summer, but this year's staff will include 10 underclassmen, a pair of seniors, and six juniors. Despite the new challenge ahead of him, McDevitt came into the season with a plan in mind.
"We're pretty green. We don't have the experience that we had last year," McDevitt said. "What we've done this year is try to get everyone moving in the same direction: understanding our systems, our philosophy, and how to manage games better."
McDevitt admits they did not yet take any "dramatic steps" forward with the group during the fall season, but he knows the student athletes can take those steps at unexpected moments. "One outing, one pitch, one practice… can change a player from a confidence level, from an understanding at the game level, or what he brings in competition on the mound. When you're talking about a four-year college career, maybe five with a redshirt or three with the draft, it's not much time. We use the terms 'veteran' or 'young' very differently than you would at the professional level. It's fun to see how quickly a pitcher can go from being inexperienced to one of the veterans."
The newcomers - lefties Danny Kapala, Bubba Horton, and Ryan Duffy; and righties Patrick Fredrickson, Max Meyer, Sam Thoresen, and Joshua Culliver - have all come in with the attitude McDevitt wants from his staff. "They have all come in with a tremendous work ethic, focus, and desire to learn and push each other."
McDevitt wouldn't single out anyone from the group but calls the entire group talented. "We just need to do the little stuff well - executing pitches, controlling the game, things like that. Every one of these guys has understood that and started to gain an idea of our philosophy."
While the upperclassmen are outnumbered on the roster, they have each stepped up to lead their freshman counterparts this fall. "Reggie Meyer is someone who is always there to compete and work," said McDevitt. "Reggie and the rest of the returners are going to be expected to throw a lot of meaningful innings and set the pace for the staff."
Meyer made nine appearances a season ago, including seven starts, posting a 5-1 record and 3.18 ERA. Jake Stevenson and Jackson Rose helped pitch the St. Cloud Rox to a Northwood League championship this past summer. Fred Manke posted the Gophers' lowest opponents' batting average a season ago, with foes hitting just .180 against the right-hander. Jeff Fashing returns after receiving a medical redshirt during the 2017 season.
"There's really been no issues with the upperclassmen," McDevitt added. "We're expecting a lot of contribution from them."
While the fall has produced a clearer picture on how the pitching staff may line up, McDevitt is not yet ready to plan anything in ink. "I am the type of coach who is always looking for different ways to impact games," McDevitt said. "Whether that means throwing in a lot of guys, doing some tandem starts, or a 'Johnny Wholestaff' situation, we're going to look over all of our options to find a way for our best arms to be on the field as much as possible."
The first month of the season produces a challenge for any coaching staff, but the Gophers will compete in 23 games over the 30 days from February 16 until March 18, competing in Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, and Texas over that span. "It's important to figure out how you want to stack those guys on top of each other in the most effective and efficient way while also keeping them safe," said McDevitt. "There's been no lack of looking, jotting and scribbling, and figuring it all out, but once the winter wraps up and the spring seasons starts, I don't have any doubt that we'll have a pretty clear idea of who's going to be out there and when."
While McDevitt is quick to pass the praise on to his student athletes, head coach John Anderson credited his second-year pitching coach for a new presence in the dugout this fall. "He was able to see the game from a different perspective last year. He's had the summer to digest what he learned - what we learned together," said Anderson. "He has implemented some of the things he wanted to based off his experience, in terms of their daily routines, their conditioning, expectations for arm care, and just how we go about our bullpens. That has been a real positive this fall. We are in a better place in terms of our leadership and having a program in place. Having [McDevitt] back for year two, helping implement some things that he wanted to change, has been a positive thing."
Even with a year under his belt, McDevitt still feels excitement with working at his alma mater and with the staff who shaped him at the collegiate level. "With all the new stuff going on around here, the Athletes Village, and the growth of the university in general, it's fun place to work and be around in any capacity. That alone is exciting," said McDevitt. "Add to that being a part of John's staff, working with Patrick Casey and Rob Fornasiere, two people that I respect like crazy. I get to wake up every morning and influence young men. I love baseball. I'm competive. I care deeply about the relationships and the people on the team, and those things fuse very nicely together with Division I athletics and a place like the University of Minnesota."
"Hopefully, we can go out this year and continue to do what we do: develop relationships and set our student athletes up for the next 50 years of their lives, and on top of that, win a few baseball games along the way."
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