Trio of starters keeps baseball atop conference
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If there's one thing that separates contenders from non-contenders, it's pitching. Three solid starters has long been a recipe for success. The Atlanta Braves of the early 90s had Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. The 2006 Blue Jays have Thayer, Kuhlman and Flannery.
"Those three have given us a chance to win every game," head coach Bob Babb said.
They did just that as the Jays coasted to another undefeated week. All three starters recorded wins as Hopkins worked to cement its place in the conference hierarchy. After winning six consecutive conference games, the Jays remain in first place, a game ahead of Franklin & Marshall. Hopkins -- currently ranked No. 12 in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball Division III poll -- now boasts a record of 23-4-2, 11-1-1 in their conference.
As of April 17, Hopkins was second in the conference with a 2.96 team ERA, barely behind F & M's 2.71. Ursinus is in a distant third with 4.39. The Jays also lead the league in strikeouts by a long shot, with Hopkins whiffing 217 batters to Haverford's 175.
The Thayer-Kuhlman-Flannery trifecta has held opposing hitters to batting averages of .223, .267 and .258, respectively. The entire Blue Jay pitching staff has been just as efficient, keeping their opponents hitting a paltry .236. By comparison, opposing pitchers have "held" the Jays to a .366 team average.
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Kuhlman earned two of last week's wins, the first of which earned him his second consecutive Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week nod. He pitched his second complete game of the season against McDaniel last Tuesday, fanning 13 -- nine from the fourth inning on -- and yielding only two runs to lead the Jays to a 4-2 win.
He was just as effective a week later, throwing seven innings for the win against Gettysburg. He allowed just six hits and three earned runs while striking out eight, improving his record to a team-best 5-0.
"I was hoping to make a difference this season," Kuhlman said.
As usual, the Hopkins offense was ready to help, chiming in with 13 hits, including a monstrous home run from sophomore shortstop Jonas Fester in the seventh inning after Gettysburg righty Tobin Whitman's two-strike breaking ball failed to break.
"You hang `em, we bang `em," Fester said. Hopkins won the game, 10-5.
Senior righty Jason Thayer, the staff ace, was characteristically brilliant against Haverford during the first game of the Saturday doubleheader. He pitched wire-to-wire for his fourth win of the season, giving up three hits and two runs while fanning six over seven innings. His 1.42 ERA is third in the conference, and he's fourth in the conference with 39 strikeouts.
Senior left-hander Jim Flannery took the win in the nightcap to bring his record to 5-1. The performance wasn't his prettiest, as a rocky first inning and a sixth inning homer cost him four runs, but giving up only the four over seven and two thirds was more than enough for the Blue Jay bats. In 29 games this season, the Jays have scored four runs or fewer only four times. In this case, Flannery's five-hit, six-strikeout performance led Hopkins to a 7-4 win to sweep the double header. The wins were both big ones for the Jays, as they maintained their conference lead and kept the perennial rival Fords languishing with a 4-6 conference record.
"We had two well-pitched games, we had excellent defense and we had clutch hits," Babb said of the Haverford doubleheader. "You got those three, you're going to win."
Also deserving credit for his work on the mound is the Jays' 6'6" sophomore right-hander, Pat Steffee. He was unhittable after entering Friday's game against McDaniel in the third inning. When junior righty Ryan Lanpher gave up six runs, four earned, in a rare start, Steffee stepped in and put out the fire, blanking the Green Terror for five innings to extend his scoreless inning streak to 20. He gave up only three hits and walked none to bring his record to 4-0. The Jays won, 13-6.
With the away game against Gettysburg on Friday and a home doubleheader against third-place Ursinus on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., Hopkins is approaching the end of conference play. After the three, all that's left is an April 29 doubleheader against Muhlenberg. Even with the team in first place and already beating Gettysburg 10-5, Babb is making sure they don't lose focus.
"We always struggle on their field," he said about the Bullets.
Hopkins has enjoyed an excellent season so far, but Babb knows that success is determined by the conference standings, and F & M is still nipping at their heels. Are the Jays -- at No. 12 in the nation -- doing any scoreboard watching?
"Absolutely," Babb said. "I would like [F & M] to lose and give us breathing room, but I don't think that's going to happen."
But if the Jays keep up their conference win streak, it won't have to.