Washington Huskies Series

C

Chop

10,000+ Posts
:uw:


They have a losing record, but they've taken a game from Long Beach State, and they recently took a game from Stanford. Most of their games are fairly low scoring affairs, which shows decent pitching, but suspect bats.


On the mound for the Huskies:

Weekend Starters
1. Jared Engman
2. Calvin Kirchoff
3. Spencer Dessart

Frequently Used Relievers
Grant Cunningham
Sam Boyle
Isaac Yeager
 
Jared Engman
RHP
6'0"
215 lbs

Redshirt Senior

Engman can bring some heat. His fastball is in the 90s and can reach 95 mph +. He also has some decent breaking pitches. He's considered the staff ace, although his numbers aren't that great. He seems to alternate between really good games (Pittsburgh) and really bad games (Long Beach State). You never know which Engman will show up.

In 16 appearances last year, Engman recorded a 5.91 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and a 3-5 record.

“I’m looking for big things from Jared Engman, who started on Friday night last year and hit some bumps in the road,” Kelly said. “And I think we’ve gotten through some of that. He’s got himself in great shape. He’s added another pitch to his repertoire, his velocity has bumped up a little bit for him. So he could be a breakout that nobody would be surprised of.”

“I decided to try pitching because I knew I had a good arm. I am a man of faith. I can only attest the gifts the Lord has given me. Being able to throw 95 miles per hour is not something I ever trained to do. It was just a gift that the Lord gave me,” Engman said


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‘Etched in time forever’: Despite overhauled roster, expectations are raised for Washington baseball team
 
Grant Cunningham
RHP
6'3"
225 lbs
Sophomore

This is their "First Man out of the Bullpen."

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Ground ball pitcher who lives low in the zone. (See Grubbs, Tristan Stevens)

Good control pitcher. Spots the ball well. Doesn't walk many batters.

Command of four pitches (4-seam, 2-seam, curve, change). Tricky / hard-to-recognize at first changeup. Whatever else he may do, he will come out of the bullpen throwing strikes.

FB: Exceptional command to his glove-side
CB: Gradual break with 11/5 shape. Understands how to land in the zone early & can expand late as needed.
CH: Firm offering with more late sinking action than arm-side run. Tough to differentiate from FB.

Emphasis in one report of his serious/devoted Catholic background.

"Grant Cunningham is a 2022 RHP/3B with a 6-0 180 lb. frame from Seattle, WA who attends Seattle Prep. Athletic frame with broad shoulders and present strength. Primary right handed pitcher with a simple step to medium leg lift delivery. Stays balanced on back side at gather and worked to the plate with drop and drive actions. Tends to land at a slightly closed position on front side creating some crossfire. Clean arm circle at take back and released from a three-quarters slot. Fastball generated downhill plane through the zone ... Curveball showed 10/4 shape with solid spin and good depth ... Also flashed a changeup offering ... that produced occasional fade to arm side. Consistently looked to locate each offering to the bottom quadrants of the zone and challenge hitters. Also worked out defensively from the infield showing smooth paced footwork while surrounding the baseball. Funnels well and worked through exchange with deliberate actions. Released from a three-quarters slot producing accurate carry to the bag at 72 mph. Right handed hitter with a balanced, slightly open stance and simple front side trigger. Works to contact with rotational lower half actions. Direct hand path to baseball with a quick line drive barrel plane. Primarily looked to drive the ball on a line to the middle of the field, but flashed the bat head control to work to all fields consistently. Good student as well."

Stays on top of the ball with a shorter, bent arm action and simple mechanics. Has true command of his offerings and should continue to get sharper with more seasoning and time on the mound.


Grant Cunningham Class of 2022 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA.

https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/grant_cunningham

Future Games - Pitching Recap - Washington Prospects
 
Calvin Kirchoff
RHP
6'6"
225 lbs
Senior

Saturday starter. (this guy may actually be their best pitcher)

2.79 ERA
1.31 WHIP


Fastball sits at 89 mph, and coming from a pitcher this tall, it gets to the plate earlier than normal for that velocity. His fastball also has a bit of a drop to it, accentuated by his height and arm length.

Expect to see a lot of Uncle Charley at the Disch on Saturday. Big looping curveball with a lot of movement to it (see video immediately below). If our batters can figure out this looping curveball, we could end up pounding this pitcher on Saturday.

In the last college summer league he pitched in, he posted the following stats:

4.84 ERA
38 Strikeouts
13 Walks









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Spencer Dessart
6'2"
190 lbs

3.47 ERA
1.30 WHIP

Fastball in the high 80s.
Has a full 4 pitch arsenal.
Spin rates on his breaking pitches are pretty pedestrian, nothing special at all. (compare them with the insane spin rates generated by Hudson Hamilton and Easton Tumis, for example, and you'll understand).

Not a bad pitcher, but he doesn't seem to have the "stuff" we've seen from the better competition this year. Not with those spin rates.

He transferred from Middlebury College, so he'll probably be reading Thoreau while staying warm in a tweed jacket in the bullpen. While his buddies head down to 6th Street after the game to blow off some steam, don't be surprised if he'll be heading for Quacks to play chess and discuss philosophy with women who wear comfortable shoes.

I bet he's a good lad, and a decent enough pitcher.


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SpencerDessart23Headshot1.JPG


From Bronxville, NY (which is most definitely NOT the Bronx, the Kennedys lived there for a time, Jim Henson lived there, etc.---a VERY tony suburb )



Spencer Dessart
 
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UW's schedule has been MUCH weaker than ours, and they still have a losing record. This isn't football. UW's baseball team is not particularly good this year. About on par with Baylor. Still, they're no blow off team. I expect a series victory, and would be happy with a sweep. (and I don't care about the score, just get the Ws).

:uw:
 
This is interesting...

Our probable pitchers projection:

Friday --- LBJ
Saturday --- Howard
Sunday --- TBD

Sunday could be Hurley, Grubbs, or somebody else.

Hurley has had some struggles early this year. I like his curveball though. Grubbs may be ready for the big-time. We'll see. He generally doesn't overpower batters, but relies on his fielders and gets lots of ground balls. Grubbs has a good slider, with nice movement and drop.

Fontenot may be another bullpen pitcher that Coach could move into a starting role--he started the last mid-week game.

Howard had a crappy game his last outing, but he's been pretty good overall. His numbers look pretty decent. Does his "stuff" hold up against the top batting lineups we'll face (like Texas Tech, for instance...?)? Tech shelled the crap out of Howard.

Grubbs and Fontenot have moved up to the front of the line for weekend starter positions. We'll see if one, or both, earn it. Or if Howard and Hurley bounce back, that's just as good. May the best man win the spot(s).

:bevo::bevo::bevo::bevo::bevo::bevo::bevo:
(one Longhorn head for each inning a starting pitcher should complete)
 
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Agree Kirchoff looks like their better pitcher. LBJ needs to get the Horns series off with a W tonight! 7 pm first pitch.
 
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Another K for LBJ. That’s 5 strikeouts in two innings. LBJ just struck out the side.

0-0. On to the bottom of the second.
 
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