Pitching newcomers getting settled in for Wichita State

Wichita State’s baseball team is inexperienced across the board, with 26 players who weren’t on coach Todd Butler’s team last season.

Many of the contributing position players are junior-college transfers, some of whom own Division I experience. The Shockers’ true youth lies in the pitching staff, and the young pitchers have endured mixed results.

Five WSU freshmen have pitched at least one inning, and four have been entrusted with larger roles. Tyler Jones, a freshman from Andale, and left-hander Jeb Bargfeldt started games this week against Central Arkansas and Arkansas-Little Rock, though neither picked up the win.

Bargfeldt made his debut Wednesday, pitching 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings. Jones took the loss on Tuesday, surrendering five runs in four innings in his second start.

The Shockers begin a three-game series Friday at Eck Stadium against No. 18 UC Santa Barbara.

“(Jones) is showing signs of getting better,” Butler said. “He’s going to be very good in time.”

Butler hopes for greater consistency from his freshmen. Early in Tuesday’s start, Jones was effective using a fastball cut in on right-handed batters and one that sank down and away from them. But when he began leaving pitches elevated in the strike zone, he was hit hard.

Taylor Goshen has been one of Butler’s go-to relievers, but Goshen hasn’t always been the pitcher Butler expects. Sometimes, Butler said, Goshen’s velocity rests in the mid- to upper-80s, and sometimes it reaches the low 90s.

Fluctuating velocity has led to differing results for Goshen, who has a 4.22 ERA and has allowed 15 hits and five earned runs with nine strikeouts and 10 2/3 innings.

Jones, Bargfeldt, Goshen, Chandler Sanburn and Brad Kinsey, who had a rough inning on Tuesday, have combined for a 6.94 ERA in 28 1/3 innings. They’ve been damaged by poor defense behind them and their own mistakes, such as 16 walks.

The group’s 24 strikeouts and .288 opponents’ batting average aren’t particularly discouraging, but often the freshmen have been unable to limit runs against them once they begin to lose steam during a game or when the defense unravels.

Sanburn allowed a three-run home run on the first pitch he threw in relief during Tuesday’s 12-1 loss to Central Arkansas.

“That’s two outings in a row where he’s struggled, and he’s given up two home runs,” Butler said.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Pitching newcomers getting settled in for Wichita State."