It's said all too often that a baseball team is only as good as its pitching staff.
The Blue Devils, about half way through their season, are only three wins away from equaling last season's total, and the pitching staff has provided the baseball team with the strong foundation it needs. With regular starters Zach Schreiber, Greg Burke, Tim Layden, and Kevin Thompson, Duke has a strong rotation, as three of the four have earned three wins apiece. The middle relievers--Justin DiLucchio, David Torcise, Billy Muldowney, and Tony Bajoczky--combine for a stingy 2.77 ERA and a 3-2 record, and the two closers, Danny Otero and Tony Bajoczky, have each earned three saves this season. Though still struggling with consistency, the pitching staff has greatly improved from years past.
In the past few seasons, the pitching staff has not been as healthy as it is now. Burke sat out last season to rehabilitate his arm from elbow surgery, and Thompson has also battled with injury in the past few years.
"We're playing pretty good right now," head coach Bill Hillier said. "We're healthy, and that's been a key [to our success]. Since I've been here as head coach, we've always had key players down injured. Right now, we don't have any starters, knock on wood,[hurt]--and our backups are healthy, too. So that helps a lot."
This season, Layden leads the team with 43 strikeouts, but Burke is not at all far behind, recording 42 K's of his own. The four starting pitchers have combined for 134 strikeouts in 141 innings. They have a combined ERA of 4.21 and a 9-7 record. The senior Schreiber recently pitched a complete game against then-No. 17 N.C. State and held the Wolfpack to only one run. That performance earned him ACC Pitcher of the Week recognition, an honor last received by a Duke pitcher in 2001.
"We got a great staff this year led by a our senior class," Walker said. "They've been doing a good job, especially our starters, of going out and giving us a lot of innings."
Also contributing to the team's success is the experience of the pitching staff.
"Our top starters are guys that have been in the program for three years, so we kind of know what to expect out of us," Schreiber said. "We've been through the fire. We know the ropes. We've been through it all. So, I think that's one of our biggest assets, our experience." Though the team has many years under its belt, it also boasts a promising crop of younger pitchers who have certainly stepped up to the calling. Freshmen Otero, Muldowney, Bajoczky and Torcise have all seen time on the mound this season. Otero leads the youthful pack with 21 strikeouts, the fourth highest of the pitching staff. Bajoczky boasts a 1.80 ERA, and sophomore Russell Durfee, who has also been recovering from an injury, has had some solid innings on the mound.
"I think it's great that we have such a big pitching staff this year because being a starter, if you get into some trouble, you always know that there are people there to back you up," Schreiber said. "But also as a starter, your goal has to be to go out and try to get at least seven innings every start so that you don't have to put as much pressure on the bullpen to perform."
But with depth on the mound, the Blue Devils have plenty to fall back on when their starters are in a bind. And so, the strength of the bullpen--and consequently, the team--continues to show improvement.
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