ASU’s pitching produces with a new star on the rise

(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)

PHOENIX — Arizona State baseball struggled on the mound so far this season, but there is a Sun Devil that established himself as a high-leverage relief pitcher against Ohio State.

The Sun Devils entered Friday with a 9.40 ERA after five games, so the team was in desperate need of a reliable bullpen arm. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs is trustworthy, but he started on Thursday and ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said the UCLA transfer is “an option in the rotation” after his performance against the Buckeyes. ASU (4-2) defeated OSU (3-3) 14-4 in one of the team’s best bullpen performances of the season.

So, who is this reliever that shined against OSU? His name is Matt Cornelius, a junior left-hander that is finally getting his shot.

“That’s a kid that just has waited his turn and once he’s gotten his, he’s made the most of every opportunity or of his opportunities that he’s had,” Bloomquist said. “Big situations, he’s come in and game’s still in limbo and he just kind of goes out there and does his job. So excited for him. One of those things, you work ahead in the count, throw strikes, change speeds in the zone and you can be effective, so he’s been doing great.”

The Pima Community College transfer earned the win against No. 24 Kansas State on Tuesday with two strikeouts and no runs in 1 ⅓ innings, but he doubled that production while notching another victory on Friday. The junior struck out five batters with no runs allowed in 2 ⅓ innings, and he did it with a nasty 77 mph curveball and a changeup that plays off the breaking ball.

It’s likely few knew the name of Matt Cornelius before Friday, but now, they do and he is embracing the role of being one of the top arms out of the bullpen.

“I always like the energy behind me,” Cornelius said. “Getting those big outs and then coming in and firing up the dugout. It changes the momentum to our side. Love being that guy.”

Cornelius and right-handed pitcher Thomas Burns proved to be a formidable duo for the first six innings of the game. The starter flashed more strikeout stuff with eight K’s in 4 ⅓ innings, but his big issue was the high pitch count.

The freshman threw 91 pitches in his outing, which is right around where Bloomquist wanted him. It’s a stark difference from the 64 pitches he tossed in his collegiate debut against Santa Clara, but he is getting ramped up in the early portion of the season.

Burns had a wide variation on his fastball in the first inning, ranging from 92 to 97 mph, but he was not effective with it. The righty made a couple big mistakes as he allowed two Buckeyes to hit solo home runs. However, the Wisconsin native utilized other pitches in his repertoire to escape some tough situations.

“The breaking balls and the changeup got me out of a lot of jams,” Burns said. “I think that’s what let me work from behind is having the off-speed stuff to come along with a lot of swings and misses.”

It was a major sign of confidence when Bloomquist picked a freshman to be the Friday, but that decision is paying dividends right now. The manager knows that his young pitcher will endure some bumps and bruises in his first year of college ball, but he truly believes in his ace.

“Told you guys after his last start, Tom is going to give up a run or two here and there,” Bloomquist said. “You know, it’s going to happen. He’s not invincible, but the great thing about him is when he does give up runs, he doesn’t seem to be rattled. He just goes right back to work and continues his game plan…Work ahead off of that and pitch backwards when he needs to and still be effective. He’s still got 95 [mph] in the tank when he needs it. I’ve said it before, that’s why he’s on Friday night for us.”

The attention goes to Burns and Cornelius, and rightfully so, but freshman right-handed pitcher Wyatt Halvorson also pitched multiple innings without allowing a run. His performance gets overshadowed with everything but the final score decided by the time he toed the rubber, but he had his best outing of the season with four strikeouts and no hits in two innings of work.

ASU clearly did not want to lose two consecutive games, and it avoided the skid with stellar pitching. The lineup put a bunch of runs on the scoreboard, but that’s expected. The pitching is what will determine how far this team will go, and it was good enough to get the victory against the Buckeyes.

“It’s the expectations — I think — is what it boils down to and I put it in their hands an awful lot,” Bloomquist said. “Where do you guys want to be? Where do you want to be at the end of this year? And then, if that’s where you want to be, then you got to set your expectations and hold to it. You can’t waver on it. Sometimes that’s not easy. You got to be tough on them and they have to be tough on each other and hold each other accountable. So, the fact that they’re doing that and their expectations are to bounce back after a loss and not let it snowball. It’s pleasing to the ears, but it’s easy to say, tough to do. They’re responding well so far.”