Baseball Season Preview: Karinchak, Theetge headline Bulldog pitching staff

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Led by the dynamic 1-2 punch of junior James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) and sophomore Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.), the Bryant University baseball team will feature a deep and versatile pitching staff in 2017.

"We have a young group with no seniors, the 1-2 punch of James and Steve and some really good relievers at the end of the game," head coach Steve Owens said.

Karinchak returns as Bryant's Friday starter, while Theetge will man the second spot in the weekend rotation. The duo combined to go 21-3 with 156 strikeouts in 167 1/3 combined innings last year. A bona fide ace and one of the top pitching prospects in the country, Karinchak has been named a Preseason All-American after going 12-3 with a 2.00 ERA and 112 strikeouts last season. He is the reigning Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year and allowed two runs or less in 12 of his 15 starts a year ago.

One of Bryant's three captains this season, Karinchak has led by example and is the hardest working player on the team according to coach Owens.

"We expect him to do what he has been doing for two years, only better," Owens said. "He's a great competitor, he sets the tone for the entire series and he has been a tremendous role model for both the pitchers and position players.

"There is nobody at this school that is as committed to the strength program as James is," Owens added.  It's exciting to watch James play baseball and we hope he has a great year."

The Bulldogs will then hand the ball to Theetge, a three-pitch lefty that posted a perfect 9-0 record as a rookie in 2016. He allowed just 65 hits and posted a 2.72 ERA in 72 2/3 innings on his way to becoming the first pitcher in NEC history to win as many as nine games without a loss. Theetge added three complete-game victories and proved he could pitch on the big stage, registering three scoreless innings in the NCAA Regional against William & Mary.

"Steve is very poised on the mound, pitches out of big jams and gets a ton of double-play balls," Owens said. "He is a command-type starter and is a great contrast to James' power, and we expect another very consistent season from Steve."

Bryant, however, will have to fill in the final two rotation spots following the loss of James Davitt to graduation and Brandon Bingel to the draft. The leading candidates for the opening rotation spots include juniors Ross Weiner (Woodbridge, Conn.) and Jack Patterson (Suffield, Conn.), and freshmen Vito Morgese (Warwick, N.Y.) and Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.).

Weiner is the most experienced of the group, having thrown 60 1/3 innings and having pitched in every role except closer. He made three starts, including one in the NEC title game in 2015, as a freshmen and then turned into one of Bryant's most reliable relievers last spring. Weiner posted a 2.39 ERA in 15 appearances out of the bullpen and has been throwing better than ever this winter.

"Ross has three good pitches and has made a lot of improvements in the offseason," Owens said. "We are looking for him to continue to improve the command of all his pitches which, in turn, would allow him to pitch deeper into games and get through lineups three times."

The Bulldogs are also hoping for a big boost from the return of Patterson, a left hander that was out of baseball last season. Patterson proved he could be a dominant force on the mound as a freshman in 2014, going 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings on his way to being regarded as one of the top pro prospects in the region.

"Jack has shown electic stuff at times this offseason," Owens said. "We are excited for his return and we look forward to him having fun and being a front-line guy for his team."

The lefty duo of Morgese and Wright gives the Bulldogs two young arms that have a chance to be very successful early on in their careers. Morgese will be called on a lot early in the season and could pitch as a starter or out of the bullpen early on. Wright has an exploding fastball and has the chance to be a power-type lefty.

"Both Vito and Chris just need to get their feet wet and get experience at this level," Owens said. "We are going to look to these guys to utilize early-season innings to separate themselves and show they are ready to start."

Bryant's middle relief will feature five arms that the Bulldogs are leaning to get through the middle of games early on in the season. The group includes junior Ryan Johnson (East Falmouth, Mass.), sophomores Craig Lacey (Westfield, Mass.) and Nathan Wrighter (Windsor, N.Y.), redshirt-freshman Mason Palmieri (Lincoln, R.I.) and true freshman Nash Eppard (Essex, Conn.).

Johnson had a strong freshman season in 2015 but struggled with command last year, walking eight in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Lacey had an up and down rookie season last year, going 1-0 with a 6.43 ERA in 14 innings. When he's on, Lacey flashes an outstanding sinker that induces ground ball after ground ball. Wrighter is one of the more improved players from last season and could see meaningful innings early on, while Eppard has a good breaking ball and has a different look with a downward plane.

"Games can be won and lost at any moment and we need this group to be ready when called upon to pitch," Owens said. "They need to be ready to pitch an inning, multiple innings or one batter. The early season performance sets the tone for the rest of the year."

The back end of the Black and Gold's bullpen could be one of the most dynamic and dominant in recent years. It will feature lefty specialist Matt Knych (Manville, R.I.), redshirt-freshman Jack Owens (Scituate, R.I.), true freshman Jack Ipsen (Eatontown, N.J.) and the junior duo of Logan Lessard (Cromwell, Conn.) and Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.).

Knych will be a matchup specialist against lefties and has really improved in the offseason. A walk-on last year, Knych appeared in four games and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Owens redshirted last season and has developed into a sidearm reliever with swing-and-miss stuff. He proved that in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League last summer, striking out 18 batters in just 12 innings. Ipsen is also a sidearmer that has great command and can pitch multiple innings.

"We haven't had a group that could matchup like this in my six years," Owens said. "The two Jack's add a dynamic that I always like to have in my bullpen."

Snyder and Lessard give the Bulldogs a veteran prescience at the end of games. The two have combined to appear in 79 games over the last two years. Snyder evolved into a tremendous closer and pitched a lot of meaningful innings last season. He went 2-2 with 10 saves, a 2.35 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 46 innings on his way to First Team All-NEC honors. Snyder also proved he could pitch more than one inning, doing so in 17 of his team-high 26 appearances. Lessard added four saves, a 3.98 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.

"The early season performances will dictate how these roles shake out," Owens said. "We are excited about the choices we have ahead of us."