Article

Baseball Wins 3-of-4 at Minnesota-Duluth in Conference Openers

by Garret Felder
April 11, 2006

Oh, what a change in attitude can do.

Before Wednesday, the Minnesota state baseball team headed into its rematch against Upper Iowa with a new sense of focus, a sense of urgency and the desire for retaliation after previous embarrassment. During a four-game series with Minnesota-Duluth Saturday and Sunday, the Mavericks' pitching staff looked like it was still taking revenge for its humiliating performance in Fayette, Iowa.

While MSU's bats were practically hidden in the dugout during the Mavericks' three wins over UMD, junior Ben King silenced Duluth fans with a 1-0 complete game shutout and sophomore Nick Fellman etched his name into the MSU record books for tying the season saves record of 10.

“I know [assistant] coach Matt Magers told the pitchers he was disappointed in their effort and concentration and I am sure he challenged them that they were better than what they did that day in Iowa,” said head coach Dean Bowyer. “But if you got competitive athletes, they are going to be embarrassed and they are going to have some pride and turn it around. And we think we have some good competitors here.”

The Mavericks' pitching was solid the entire weekend and it started with their starting four. As many conference teams would argue that MSU’s starting four is the best in the NCC, this weekend was no exception to the argument as three of the four starters pulled out wins despite a lack of run production.

“If our pitching staff throws strikes, then we will be in every game,” Bowyer said. “You win games with your defense and pitching. We know they can do it now, they just have to realize the reason they pitch well is because they focus, concentrate and work hard.”

MSU's superiority in pitching showed when senior Matt McMurtry won Saturday's first game for the Mavericks with a 4-3 win after six innings of service and an earned save for Fellman. Even junior Jon Bjelland went six innings during the Mavericks' 5-4 extra innings loss during the second game Sunday. But the heart of the Mavericks' pitching showed during the heart of the series and in the right arms of King, Fellman, and junior Dane Secott.

“The focal point [Magers] made after the first Upper Iowa games was for us to really go after hitters and just trust our stuff,” King said. “I think we have a lot of talent on this staff, but I think it is just a matter of us going out there and pitching like were capable and not walking guys.”

King silenced a crowd of UMD football players taunting, “Coach Ragsdale says go back to football” — Dan Ragsdale is a former UMD football coach heading into his first season with MSU — by striking out the first five batters of Saturday's second game. King continued to silence the chants and went on to blank UMD's offense with a 1-0 victory, 10 strikeouts and no walks.

“When people say stuff like that it gives you more of an adrenaline rush and you might have a little more on your fastball than you normally would in a situation like that,” King said. “To be perfectly honest, I think it helped me. Some people might get rattled but it really helped me out and I seemed to get more into it after [the football players] got on me.”

Secott followed his fellow pitchers by going six innings in the first game Sunday and marking up 10 strikeouts with one earned run during the Mavericks 3-1 win. Again, Fellman stepped up in the last inning to close out his 10th and record-tying save for the Mavericks. But for Fellman, tying the record is just one small stepping-stone to his ultimate goal as the team's closer.

“I know I'm coming in for a reason: To hold the game. And my coaches feel I am the best solution to that,” Fellman said. “I've always loved being a closer. The record means a lot, but all in all, it's about winning games, helping my team win and picking up starters who can't go all seven.”

Fellman tied Todd Revenig's 1990 record of 10 saves in a season and is only one away from tying Revenig's 1988-90 record of 12 career saves. Former Maverick Kevin Dixon also took a run at the season saves record, amassing seven saves before being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft.

Although most baseball experts regard the closer as the most pressure-loaded position in the game, Fellman fears not. To him, closing out leads is no tougher than climbing up the Maverick baseball ranks to his important spot in the bullpen.

“I wasn't really recruited that hard, so I was always under pressure situations to show [the coaches] that I had the ability to do it and I think that has always helped me that I have never been given anything,” Fellman said. “Pressure, to me, is fun. It makes me a lot better as a pitcher because I am much more focused. Pressure makes me get jacked up and I like to play off intensity and having the crowd and everything feed off me.”

Despite the great pitching performances, the Mavericks hope their offense will improve during practice this week to support their star-studded staff of pitchers.

“We hit from about 1:30 p.m. to about 4 p.m. [Monday] and just working the hands,” Bowyer said. “We just need to hit the ball a little more and the more you practice, the better you get.”

The Mavericks hope to bring it all together and add to their four-game winning streak when they head to Duluth, Minn., to face Minnesota-Duluth Saturday and Sunday.