First-year pitcher puts up impressive stats
First-year pitcher Matt McShane will likely never forget his first college baseball game.
“So we were playing against Quinnipiac [University],” McShane said. “It was freezing, probably about somewhere in the 30s, and then they said, ‘McShane, you’re in the game.’”
More precisely, on Feb. 19 at St. Joe’s John W. Smithson ’68 Field, the wind chill was in the upper 20s, with wind speeds at about 18 mph, and of course, it was snowing lightly.
“[It] was kind of cool,” McShane said. “[I] let up a couple of hits, but overall, it was a good outing. From there, I just continued to grow and get better.”
He did just that. McShane gave up five hits and one run in two innings during that game. Since then, he has made multiple appearances on the mound, putting up stats of a 1.91 Earned Run Average (ERA) with 33 innings pitched, 39 strikeouts and a 5.5 strikeout to walk ratio.
“I’ve been doing the same thing since I was young every time I go out. I compete. I work hard,” McShane said.
Pat Brown, the team’s pitching coach, who is in his second season with the program, agrees.
“He’s the kind of guy that makes my job really easy. He does everything you ask him. He’s always looking for ways to get better,” Brown said. “He’s willing to do whatever it takes to be the best player he can be and that and that goes a long way.”
McShane has been playing baseball for most of his life. He played T-ball and in-house baseball before trying out for a travel baseball team. From there, McShane continued his athletic career, playing baseball at Bensalem High School.
When the time came for McShane to decide where he wanted to continue his athletic and academic career, he decided St. Joe’s was the best fit because of its Division I athletic program and its business school.
“I wanted to play at the highest level,”
McShane said. “It gave me the opportunity to not only play the sport I love but also get a good education.”
For most of his baseball career before college, McShane has been a starter. After coming to St. Joe’s, he had to adjust to being in the bullpen.
“It’s definitely been a little bit of an adjustment, but I’ll do whatever it takes to win and if my team needs me in the bullpen then that’s what I’ll do,” McShane said.
Fellow first-year pitcher Sam Davies said he believes McShane’s ability to throw with a high velocity and command of the strike zone is what contributes to his success.
“He can put it in a Dixie cup. He can hit a spot,” Davies said. “It’s a really unique quality to see that he has both velocity and control as a freshman.”
Brown said McShane is one of the team’s toughest pitchers and best competitors, adding to his overall success.
“He generates a lot of strikeouts and a lot of swings and misses and is a power pitcher that you want at the back end of the game,” Brown said.
McShane’s ability to handle himself on the field has contributed to his performance this season and the team’s confidence in his abilities on the mound.
“He was coming in for the seventh inning to close out the game for the seventh, eighth and ninth innings and we all looked at each other on the bench like ‘we won this game,’” Davies said. “That’s just the type of confidence we have in Matt.”
McShane said he feeds off the adrenaline that comes with being on the mound during the last few innings of a close game.
“I’ve always loved to compete,” McShane said. “[When the] game’s on the line and the ball’s in my hands, that’s my favorite time to pitch.”
As McShane continues to put up impressive stats, he does not let his success this season get to him.
“Every day of practice, I’m going to try to get better,” McShane said. “Once I get on the mound, I don’t think about anything except going out and competing and trying to get outs for my team.”
Correction: The print version of this article states McShane’s Feb. 19 game was in Hamden, Connecticut. This game was played at St. Joe’s.
