Sacramento State’s bullpen has shown that quality is better than quantity.

With injuries plaguing many Hornet pitchers from the start of the season, the bullpen has relied on a small group of pitchers to carry the load.

Despite using mainly a three-pitcher combination of seniors Tyler Hoelzen and Brandon Creel to pair with freshman closer Sutter McLoughlin, the Hornets bullpen ranks second among Western Athletic Conference teams with a 3.34 ERA.

“We don’t have that much pitching, but we do have a quality group of guys that can come out and compete,” said Creel, who leads the team with 26 appearances. “We’ve never had this strong of a bullpen and we have been able to throw guys out there who can throw strikes and get the job done. It really helps out our offense.”

Head coach Reggie Christiansen said he wanted to develop specific roles for his pitching staff at the beginning of the year because he has seen a difference in success of teams.

“You look at all the college teams that are winning a lot of games compared to teams who are not winning a lot of games, (and) it has definitely helped,” Christiansen said.

But sometimes things change. Dallas Chadwick and Mason Magleby both were sidelined with elbow injuries. They appeared in five games before having to forgo their junior seasons.

Last year, Chadwick pitched well in conference play with a 3-1 record to go along with a 3.06 ERA in 35.1 innings.

“Going into the season, Dallas Chadwick was the guy who was going to close games for us, but he got hurt,” Christiansen said.

With the amount of injuries, opportunities have paved the way for some players who were given a chance, including a freshman that has become an established closer for as long as the next three years.

“Sutter was throwing the ball better than anyone out of the bullpen, so I gave him a shot and haven’t looked back since,” Christiansen said.

McLoughlin currently leads the Conference with 14 saves and has a team-low 1.86 ERA.

McLoughlin said he never closed games before coming to Sac State.

“I actually think it’s a little easier (than being a starter),” McLoughlin said. “It takes a lot of stress off of your arm and you only really think about getting three outs.”

McLoughlin took over for senior R.J. Davis who graduated last spring, and in his first season, he already signed his name in the record books when he surpassed Mike Frame’s 1989 record of 11 saves in a single season.

“I feel very comfortable in the closer role right now,” McLoughlin said. “It just comes naturally to me.”

McLoughlin stands at 6-feet-5-inches tall and features a mid-90s fastball and a change up that has struck out 23 batters, but he said he gives most of the credit to the offense, the defense and a solid bullpen in front of him.

Creel and Hoelzen have been there since the first games against the University of Texas to set up the ninth inning and each has done his job well. Both have more than 24 appearances and have only lost four games combined.

Creel said this is the closest the team has ever been.

“This team has one of the best chemistries we have ever had,” Creel said.  “Not only are we together on the field, but we do a lot off the field with each other too.”

Hoelzen’s ERA has improved, dropping from a 4.50 ERA last year to a 3.43 ERA this year. He said he gives a lot of the credit to his new assistant coach Steve Holm, who replaced Thad Johnson in the offseason.

“Steve just brings a different professionalism from being a professional catcher for many years,“ Hoelzen said. “It has just been better this year.”

With all three starters pitching at least two out of the three games in a series, the bullpen stresses the importance of keeping loose and staying away from injuries.

“Our throwing program has gotten better over the years, and the more we throw in the games, the less we throw during practice saves our arms,” Creel said. “That, along with the strength and conditioning, really helps.”

In 1986, John Dewan and Mike O’Donnell created a statistic to measure how effective a relief pitcher is. A hold is when a pitcher comes in and leaves the game before his team loses the lead, and although it is a fairly new baseball statistic, it has become a tool to rate the bullpen.

This year, Sac State is one win away from its 14th 30-win season and has 12 holds, showing how important the bullpen really is.

 

Ryan can be reached on Twitter at @rskuhn