Tepesch gets his feet wet on the mound
Published April 15, 2008
Guided by a 31-run Friday night, the MU baseball team set plenty of career highs and team records this weekend, but one player set career highs on Sunday. Freshman Nick Tepesch pitched three innings in Sunday's 9-2 loss to Texas. His previously longest appearance was only 1.2 innings. Tepesch also set a career high with two strikeouts.
Even though three innings was the longest appearance of Tepesch's career, coach Tim Jamieson said he might have left Tepesch in longer if the game's score had been closer.
"I thought he did well," Jamieson said. "I thought it was an opportunity for him to expand what he's been doing, to see if he's capable of throwing for a longer period of time."
For Tepesch, his freshman season has been an adjustment. He was a starter at Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs but has only seen action in 11 relief appearances this season.
"I like it," Tepesch said. "Because you go in there, and basically you just throw as hard as you can for an inning. Being a closer, you just get people out."
Tepesch was a 28th-round choice of Boston Red Sox in 2007. He earned numerous local honors in the Kansas City area and was Missouri's Gatorade Player of the Year. He said adjusting to the Big 12 hasn't been excessively difficult.
"I don't know that you really have to adjust anything," Tepesch said. "The competition is going to be a little better, but it's just like any other game, really."
Tepesch leads Missouri with four saves on the season.
Sophomore catcher Trevor Coleman said he sees an improvement in Tepesch from when he first caught him in the fall.
"He's worked on certain pitches that have really developed," Coleman said. "When he got in here, his fastball was pretty straight. Anytime your fastball is straight, it's going to get hit, whether it's 106 or 86. So, if you can get your pitches to move like he's been able to do, and really he's worked hard, and all the credit to him. Hopefully we can use him in a winning effort soon."
Coming into Sunday, Tepesch had an ERA of 4.91. In three innings Sunday, he gave up three hits and an earned run. Jamieson said he will likely play Tepesch more often on Sundays.
"It depends on how much he's been used before Sunday," Jamieson said. "If he hasn't been used at all, I would say he'll go at least three innings. But if he's been used once or twice already, then he'll be limited to how much he can throw."
Coleman said he liked what he saw Sunday.
"Nick was outstanding," he said. "I think he really came and threw a lot of strikes. That's what you've got to do, especially on Sundays in the Big 12."
This weekend, the team hits the road for a three-game series at Oklahoma. On Wednesday, the team has a home game against William Woods.
"We haven't talked about it yet," Jamieson said of the pitching lineup for Wednesday. "But there will be a lot of different guys."
