First-year pitchers have learned plenty thus far at Virginia
Tie ballgame. Bases loaded. Only one out. Top of the order coming up.
There are easier spots for a first-year pitcher to make his college debut.
But that was the situation Virginia freshman left-hander Luke Schauer was dropped into in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game against UConn. Just 12 pitches later, the Huskies had added two more runs to move back in front. Head coach Brian O’Connor emerged from the UVa dugout again, bringing Schauer’s outing to a quick end.
Not the debut Schauer envisioned.
“Definitely a lot of nerves to be put in that spot,” he admitted on Tuesday. “But obviously, it kind of showed the confidence they had in me. So that was kind of reassuring.”
Schauer was the first newcomer to pitch for the Hoos this season and the first left-hander UVa used out of the bullpen. He had gained the staff’s confidence with his performance in the scrimmages last fall.
“He proved this fall to be somebody that can manage those situations,” O’Connor explained. “He proved to be somebody that’s got a lot of poise. I like his stuff.”
UVa has leaned on the veterans in its bullpen through the first week of the season. Blake Bales has pitched in three of the team’s four games. Three other right-handers—Paul Kosanovich, Kyle Whitten, and closer Stephen Schoch—have made two appearances. All four are fourth-year seniors or older.
Those veterans have proven to O’Connor that they can be relied on and they will continue to get their chances in key spots. In a shortened 50-game season, with only four games on the schedule each week, there will likely be fewer opportunities for the first-year pitchers on UVa’s staff.
Schauer was the first newcomer to pitch for the Hoos this season. Fellow first-year lefty Jake Berry also appeared in Saturday’s 10-9 loss to UConn. Two more true freshmen, right-hander Channing Austin and lefty Rece Ritchey, debuted in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 14-5 win against VMI.
“It was good to see some of those young freshmen get a chance out there at the end of the game,” O’Connor said after Tuesday’s game. “Some good lessons for them, to know that they have to throw strikes to be effective and have a chance.”
All four freshmen pitchers began their college careers at the bottom of the learning curve. None faced more than three batters in his debut; Schauer and Berry both failed to record an out before exiting. All four threw more balls than strikes. The combined stat line for those four debuts: Three runs allowed, two hits, five walks, two hit batters and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.
Schauer also pitched in Tuesday’s win, becoming the first freshman to make a second appearance on the mound. The stakes weren’t quite as high against the Keydets, as the Wahoos were already up by nine runs in the seventh. But VMI did have two runners on base.
This time, Schauer sat down Callen Nuccio swinging to end the inning. He stayed in the game and added two more strikeouts in the eighth, retiring the Keydets in order. Veteran lefty Andrew Abbott was waiting in the dugout with some feedback for Schauer as he came off the mound.
“It was nice just to bounce back like that,” Schauer admitted.
O’Connor says the Cavaliers’ first-year pitchers will get more opportunities. Schauer had to wait three days for his. The freshman said that when it came, the experience of that rocky debut helped calm his nerves.
“Just keep having that confidence, trusting what I do, the work we put in as a staff, as a group,” he said. “Just knowing that’s not going to define who I am.”
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