Recipe?
Hawaii head coach Rich Hill is the Iron Chef of college baseball, disregarding the standard book of baseball strategy in favor of improvised concoctions.
“Show me the guy who wrote the book,” Hill said. “Tell me that guy’s name. I’d love to meet him.”
During the Rainbow Warriors’ four-game winning streak, catcher DallasJ Duarte was assigned the leadoff spot, freshman left-hander Harrison Bodendorf was a Friday reliever and then Sunday starter, Connor Harrison was summoned as a four-inning closer, and second baseman Stone Miyao was ordered to squeeze on a 3-0 pitch.
“Richie does some things that are a little unorthodox,” said UC Riverside coach Justin Johnson, whose Highlanders play host to the ’Bows in tonight’s opener of a three-game series at Riverside Sports Complex. “You have to be on your toes and expect the unexpected and be ready for anything against a Rich Hill-coached team.”
Hill said there is a noticeable difference between college and pro baseball. “You’re not supposed to use a closer this way or bunt at that time,” Hill said. “Most of that is dictated toward that 162-game season with big-league players and the matrix there. When they get to the playoffs, watch how the Major League Baseball game is played. It’s just like a college game. … (Hall of Fame closer) Mariano Rivera comes in with one out in the seventh inning. (Starting pitcher) Randy Johnson closes a game. It’s all hands on deck. … We understand that, and have a very non-dogmatic approach to scoring runs and preventing runs.”
Hill said Duarte’s plate discipline — 2-to-1 ratio of walks/hit by pitches to strikeouts — prompted the move to the top of the lineup. In four games as the leadoff hitter, Duarte is 5-for-11 with three home runs. On Tuesday against California Baptist, he hit two homers and walked four times in six plate appearances.
Third baseman Zach Storbakken was hitting .222 before joining the starting lineup a week ago. In four games, Storbakken went 7-for-18.
And with runners at the corners against Long Beach State, Hill predicted Miyao would see a 3-0 fastball down the middle of the plate. “You might as well do it,” Hill said of the squeeze. “That was the best time to do it.”
Bodendorf was credited with two victories last weekend after pitching the final three innings on Friday and the first 4 1⁄3 on Sunday. “He just needs to pitch consequential innings,” Hill said of Bodendorf. “That last weekend was a great example of that. That’s a Friday night close situation and a quality start on Sunday. You can’t get more consequential innings than that. In a perfect world, you win 10-0 and 10-0 and start Body on Sunday. Each game will dictate what we do with him.”
The Highlanders have been creative with their pitching strategy. Blake Burzell and Eric Marrujo struggled as starting pitchers while relievers Cruz Barrios and Tyler Frazier were relatively effective. “Instead of waiting all the time to get the ball to Cruz and Frazier, I said, ‘why don’t we start Cruz, and hopefully he gives us two, three, whatever (innings),” Johnson said.
Johnson said he will continue with the recent tactic of an “opener” — a traditional reliever starting the game — with a mix-and-match bullpen. “The inconsistencies have hurt us,” Johnson said. “But I figured for right now, I’m just trying to put the pitchers in the best possible position to be successful.”
That means using a reliever with a good slider against battlers struggling against sliders. “If you have a changeup, and the first three guys are all hitting .350 or better (against a changeup), you’re not going to face them,” Johnson said. “Whereas a starter, you’ve got to face those guys.”
Troy Percival, a UCR alumnus who pitched 14 MLB seasons, said Corbin Barker has next-level potential. Barker, who has the Highlanders’ best slider and curveball, can start or relieve. Burzell’s fastball has touched 97 mph, although he is usually in the 92-95 range.
