Steven Abramo
Staff reporter
Expectations can do two things to a team: build it up into a powerful, cohesive force, or tear it down during the heat of competition. However, for the college’s baseball coach, Kent Shelley, expectations are something he embraces.
“Expectations are high, but that really doesn’t change from year-to-year in our program,” Shelley said. “We identify, we recruit, and we develop outstanding talent. [We look for] young men of character and great integrity.”
Shelley is amidst his 32nd season at the college, and although he has won over 1,000 games and four Eastern Sub-Regional championships, he’s still focused on sharpening his current team’s future.
“We have an opportunity to excel in different areas of the game,” Shelley said. “Our strengths on paper are on the mound, and we have a very strong pitching staff with better depth than in years past. We have some [pitchers] who have the ability to throw outstanding secondary pitches. We have sophomores who have pitched at the collegiate level and are proven. We also have freshmen who have a chance to perform well.”
The pitchers Shelly mentions have guided the Cavaliers to a quick 7-1 start this season. The quartet of starters have dazzled to this point, allowing only a combined 10 earned runs and 24 hits across 41.1 innings.
Northpaw Zachary Ebert headlines the team’s sterling rotation. The sophomore, who is regarded by Shelley as “one of the best to ever put on the uniform at Johnson County,” entered this spring ranked No. 226 on the Perfect Game Top 300 Junior College Prospect list for the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft in the off-season.
Suffice to say, he has lived up to the hype so far. After a season in which he tossed eight complete games and recorded 105 strikeouts in 81 innings, Ebert posts a 2.25 earned run average (ERA), and 15 strikeouts through 12 innings so far this season.
Ebert describes his pitching style as a combination of power and finesse, with curveballs being the “special one.”
“I wouldn’t consider myself a flamethrower by any means, but I am a guy that will go out there and throw the ball hard in the upper 80s [mph] and low 90s; [however], I feel like I can be crafty [with my pitches],” Ebert said. “Being able to throw my breaking ball definitely is a plus pitch. I’m working harder on developing my change-up but, throwing it in games gives me three pitches to work with. I would have to say my pitch for strikeouts is my curveball, but I command my fastball really well.”
He also credits his success this season to the rest he put on his arm during the winter months.
“Throughout the off-season there are different tactics people take; the route that I took was taking off from throwing for a couple of months,” Ebert said. “I lifted every day and tried to gain 20 pounds knowing that would help me gain velocity. It also helped my arm feel better taking the time-off. The [coaches] say you’re supposed to take three months off out of the year and don’t throw. You don’t see kids do that nowadays, but I believe it’s important.”
Sophomore Dylan Bierman has also dominated this season, yielding only two earned runs while striking out 12 through 10 innings.
“He has the ability to command the zone and induce a lot of groundballs,” Shelley said of the second-year northpaw.
Bierman’s role last season consisted of pitching out of the bullpen; everything from long relief, closing, or to even making a spot start every now and then. With a larger role to fulfill this season though, Bierman says he’s made some “tweaks” in his mechanics and with his body to meet the demands of the season.
“This year my body is better prepared for the longevity of the season; I feel I have prepared myself to throw a lot of innings this spring,” Bierman said. “I also have fine-tuned all my pitches to a higher, more consistent level. I did not change anything as far as my motion, but I have advanced my metrics and have been trying to get into my legs more to drive down the mound.”
In addition to Ebert and Bierman, sophomore Sloan Thomsen and freshman Trey Ziegenbein have impressed so far. Thomsen holds a 3.18 ERA with nine strikeouts in 11.1 innings. Meanwhile, Ziegenblein, has struck out 12 hitters while flashing a miniscule 1.13 ERA across eight innings.
“Our biggest challenge with this group is keeping the staff healthy on the mound,” Shelley said. “We have some velocity up-and-down the staff, with great competitors. I’ve always said pitching wins championships, and we’ll see if that holds true this year or not.”
Another facet of the game that Shelley sees potential in is at the plate. The Cavaliers start five sophomores in its batting order, all capable of delivering runs when called upon.
“I think we can consistently hit well from-to-top-bottom in our lineup,” Shelley said. “We have great power in the middle with great team speed all-around. I expect us to be very aggressive on the base paths, too.”
Through eight games this season, the Cavs have scored 66 runs (8.2 per game) and five home runs, all while producing a .336 team batting average and .406 on-base-percentage (OBP). The team has witnessed adept hitting from a wealth of players during the early stages of the season, notably from outfielder Anthony Amicangelo, first baseman Malik Williams, and catcher Anthony Slaughter.
Amicangelo, sophomore, missed the entirety of last season rehabbing from a shoulder injury. He leads the team’s batting average (.545), hits (12), OBP (.600) and slugging percentage (.909) this season. Williams and Slaughter, also sophomores, are second and third on the team, respectively, in extra base-hits and total bases.
One last name to know is Garrett Wood. The freshman from Claremore, Oklahoma, is currently pegged as a utility infielder, capable of playing three of the four infield positions. The Oklahoma native has only appeared in three games so far; however, he has showed out in his limited opportunities, registering two hits, two RBIs and four runs scored in seven plate appearances.
While his college baseball career is only several weeks old, Wood acknowledges the sacrifices and connections he made to get where he is now will pay off during the season.
“The speed of the game is much different at the college level, [and] slowing the game down was very important to me,” Wood said. “My coaches in high school helped me with this transition tremendously. I have had many role models who have helped me on and off the field, day in and day out. Not only as a baseball player, but as a student and a young man.”
With such a complete and competent roster, the Cavs are bound to fulfill expectations. To Ebert, two things are to be kept in mind for a great season.
Ebert said, “Me and my dad have this saying, it’s called ‘consistency and confidence.’ I know that if I go out there every day and try and be consistent as I possibly can with the stuff I have, then I have a chance to win a ball game every time I step foot on the mound.”