Baseball is a game of numbers. You can find out almost anything about a player’s or team’s performance by looking at the seemingly endless jumble of statistics and numbers in a box score.
That is why it is tough to describe in only words what the West Chester men’s baseball team has done so far this season. The only way to do it justice is to give you the numbers. They tell the whole story.
One-hundred and fifty three. The number of runs West Chester has scored so far this season in 17 games. That translates to nine runs per game, and an average of 1.1 runs every inning. A mark of incredible production, yes? Pair that with the 61 runs WCU has given up all year, and here is a team that is winning by an average of 9-4 every single game. There is a reason they are 16-1 to start the season and have won 11 straight games. Everyone is contributing.
“So far this season everybody on the team has impressed me,” senior Joe Wendle said. “I feel that we have been very balanced throughout the year on offense defense, and pitching. This includes when we are up in games, and down in games … we feel playing on an even keel will allow us to win the most games.”
The effort has come from everyone, but it is tough not to take a second glance at Wendle’s production numbers so far this season.
There is a lot to talk about when it comes to the senior infielder. Let’s start with the number one. In 64 at bats this season Wendle has struck out one time. Wendle is on pace to strike out fewer than 3 times this year, a total that some batters match after one bad day at the dish. When a player strikes out that little, they have to be comfortable hitting with two strikes.
“My approach with two strikes is to choke up a little on the bat, and stay short to the ball. Sometimes I will use that approach for an entire at-bat or even game,” Wendle said.
It is not tough to imagine what he has accomplished this year given his consistency at the plate. Wendle has appeared in all 17 games, and holds a .469 average with seven doubles, four triples, seven homers, and 26 RBI. The rest of the team combined has just four more home runs than Wendle, and his 26 RBI are 10 more than Chris Pula and Reid Pulford.
First year head coach Jad Prachniak is certainly impressed.
“Wendle has great physical tools and he combines that with an immpressive understanding of the game,” Prachniak said. “He has great hand eye coordination, which helps him recognize pitches, even when he gets fooled and is on his front foot he is able to keep his hands back and puts a good swing on the ball.”
However, to give Wendle all of the credit for the potent West Chester offense would be absurd. His numbers are outstanding but he is just one piece in a very dynamic Golden Rams puzzle.
Wendle might drive in a bunch of runs, but who would he be driving in if nobody was on base?
Forty-five. The combined number of runs leadoff man Mike Raimo, and two-hole hitter Jack Provine have scored this season. Provine’s 24 runs rank first on the team and Raimo’s 21 rank third behind Wendle’s 23. But to score runs a player needs to reach base, and these two have done a tremendous job of doing that.
Provine’s on-base percentage of .529 is the highest on the team, and he has reached base in 13 consecutive games. Raimo has walked 13 times this year, which is also a team high. That is exactly what the number one and two hitters on a team need to do, draw walks and reach base so the middle of the order can drive them in.
“Raimo in the leadoff spot and Provine hitting second have been exceptional at working at bats and finding a way on base, they help initiate the offense especially early in the game,” Prachniak said.
And when Wendle doesn’t drive them in, there is plenty of offense in the rest of the order to do the job. Of the nine players on the team that have more than 20 at bats, only three are hitting under .300 and only one is hitting under .275. Reid Pulford (.350/3/316), Matt Baer (.313/3/14) and Chris Pula (.281/1/16) have anchored the middle/lower part of the order, and come through consistently with runners on base. These players, along with regulars like Justin Lamborne, Jordan Wlodarczyk, and Josh Heyne have led the Golden rams to an incredible team batting average of .343.
Of course the .343 average comes from the offense, but the .238 batting average against comes from the men on the rubber.
Fifty-Six. The total number of innings pitched by Dave Stieg, Fred Breidenbach, Kyle Weary, and Jordan Lehman. The significance? These four pitchers hold the top four earned run averages on the team. In those 56 innings they have allowed just 10 earned runs, giving them a combined ERA of 1.60. That means they allow an average of 1.60 runs per nine innings pitched.
Breidenbach, who has started all three games he has pitched in, has held opponents to a .143 batting average, allowing just one extra base hit and striking out eight in 18 innings. He is averaging an impressive six innings per outing, leaving little work for the bullpen.
The rest of the pitching staff has certainly pulled their weight as well. Of the 11 pitchers that have tossed at least an inning this year, six hold ERAs of 3.00 or under (Stieg, Breidembach, and Weary al under 1.90). Only two pitchers have an ERA over five, and as a staff the Rams have given up just three home runs all year.
The pichers cannot do it alone though. Part of not allowing runs is having a defense that will bail you out once in a while, and nobody helps a pitcher more than his catcher.
“All of our catchers have done a great job defensively,” Prachniak said. “Pulford, Kyle Frazier and Wlodarczyk have done a nice job of setting the tempo for our defense. Reid has been the starter for the majority of the games and has been busy the last couple of weeks, but Kyle and Jordan have stepped in and done a nice job when called upon.”
One. The number of errors made by WCU catchers this year. Given that the catcher is one of two players that touches the ball every single pitch, it is astounding that they have slipped up just one time.
That lone error came from Pulford, who sports an above average.988 fielding percentage with eight assists and 74 putouts in 13 games behind the plate. Frazier and Wlodarczyk have combined for 24 putouts and three assists and have yet to make an error.
Offense. Pitching. Defense. West Chester has been above average in every category, and it has resulted in wins.
At 16-1 and closing in on the halfway point of the season, West Chester is in pretty good shape. Anyone can see that from the numbers. But there is one thing the numbers do not show, and it is the most important thing of all.
“The focus and effort of every guy on the team,” Prachniak said. “I see that the guys geniunely care about one another, which is what being a team is all about.”
Kenny Ayres is a second-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at KA739433@wcupa.edu.