Pair of aces
UConn’s Gallagher gets nod over Peterson against Stanford
Josh MacDonald remembers driving up to Fenway Park for Game 4 of the 1998 American League Division Series between the Red Sox and Indians, wondering whether Sox ace Pedro Martinez would make the start on three days’ rest.
Instead, he heard on WEEI Radio that it would be Pete Schourek.
“Pete Schourek stood on his head that day, no offense to him,” MacDonald, the UConn pitching coach, recalled.
Still, no Pedro — and no World Series for an 80th straight year for the Sox.
There was no such dilemma or discrepancy in choices when UConn coach Jim Penders selected his starter for Game 1 of the Stanford Super Regional on Saturday (10:30 p.m., ESPNU). With No. 1 starter Austin Peterson coming off a weekend of 159 pitches in a pair of wins in the College Park Regional, Penders had no problem going with No. 2 starter Pat Gallagher to open the best-of-three series with Stanford.
“It’s not one of those things where it’s one heavily over the other,” MacDonald, UConn’s pitching coach, said on Wednesday, a day before the 49-14 Huskies flew out to Palo Alto, Calif. “We feel very confident that both of those guys can go out there, and if they pitch their game, they can give any offense trouble. I feel very at ease with that move.”
Indeed, although Peterson was UConn’s Friday starter and is a likely early-to-mid-round MLB Draft pick in a month, not much has separated him from Gallagher this season. Peterson, a 6-foot-6 righthander, is 11-2 with a 3.30 ERA, striking out 145 batters in 109 innings. Gallagher, a 6-foot righty, is 10-3 with a 3.17 ERA and 102 K’s in 962⁄3 innings.
Gallagher last pitched in the Huskies’ 10-4 win over Maryland on Saturday, throwing 92 pitches over seven innings of seven-hit, two-run ball. Peterson, who took 109 pitches to get through six innings in the Huskies’ 8-7 win over Wake Forest the night before, came back two nights later on Monday to throw 21⁄3 innings of relief in
UConn’s regional clincher over Maryland.
“We’ve got two aces, and Pat’s going to have more rest,” Penders said. “He’s certainly capable of (starting the series opener). We’re looking forward to see what he does with that.”
So is Gallagher. “Really, really exciting, it’s a great opportunity,” the Leominster, Mass. product said. “It’s why you come to UConn to play baseball, no doubt. It’s going to be awesome to set the tone for us.”
Gallagher knew he’d be the Game 1 starter once Peterson entered Monday night’s game out of the bullpen.
“Coach Mac said, ‘Hey, if Austin needs to go in this game, you’re gonna have the ball,’ ” Gallagher recalled.
One thing is certain: Whoever was going to face Stanford in Game 1 was going to run into a buzzsaw of a lineup. The Cardinal (45-15) hit .308 as a team with 105 homers in 60 games. They’re led by Brett Barrera (.350, 10 homers) and Carter Graham (.340, 22 HR, 77 RBI).
“They’re a very goodhitting team, they have a great approach at the plate,” Gallagher said. “I know their ballfield is a little larger than Maryland’s, so the bats play a little different. But they have a great approach, and I’m going to have to make my pitches and execute.”
Gallagher has played with a pair of Stanford players: catcher Kody Huff (.320, 12 HR) and infielder Drew Bouser (.297, 15 HR).
“I don’t think we’ve played a team that’s like Stanford,” UConn coach Jim Penders said. “They’ve got a high-powered offense, some really good arms. And they’re extremely well-coached by a guy (David Esquer) who’s got a lot of pride in his alma mater and does it the right way.”
No. 2 Stanford hosted its own regional this past weekend and was stretched to the brink by a game Texas State team. Texas State beat the Cardinal on Saturday, then held a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth on Monday. Stanford got back-to-back homers to tie the game, then won on a walk-off single by Trevor Haskins to move on.
“They’re gonna come at us with everything they’ve got,” Penders added. “I know they’ve got a flair for the dramatic. That was obvious on (Monday night). We stayed up and watched it, it was remarkable.”
On Saturday night at Stanford’s hallowed Sunken Diamond, Pat Gallagher
will be the first UConn hurler to try to tame the Cardinal bats. He may not quite be Austin Peterson, but he’s certainly no Pete Schourek to Peterson’s Pedro Martinez.
AROUND THE BASES:
Peterson will likely start Game 2, though Penders said it’s possible he’ll start Game 3 instead, depending on what happens in the first game.
⏩ UConn’s 49 wins are a program single-season record. It also matches the win total of Providence’s final season as a program in 1999 for most by a New England-based program, according to Penders.
⏩ If UConn beats Stanford in the Super Regional, it will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. for the first time since 1979. The Huskies have reached the College World Series five times — 1957, 1959, 1965, 1972 and 1979. Banners marking those appearances hang on the wall of their home field.
“We’re in the shadow of that every day at Elliott Ballpark,” Penders said. “Anything short of Omaha is a disappointment. We’ve got to get back there, it’s been too long.”