Baseball opens season with sweep against Ozarks

Shane Pellegrino swung at the first pitch of his collegiate career and sent a fastball flying into center field. Two innings later, the righty sent another first pitch of the atbat to left field to bring in the Bears’ first run of the season. The freshman took two swings and hit two line drives.

“I was dead-red fastball, I got my timing, and I was able to see the pitch and hit a line drive up the middle,” Pellegrino said. “I was so ready to go. I was just so excited to be out there, to just pull the trigger. I’ll always remember that — first pitch too.”

It was the first game in seven months for Pellegrino, who had surgery in June for a torn labrum and rotator cuff. After just three weeks of being able to fully participate in practice, he filled in for injured Harry Mauterer as the starting shortstop in the team’s first series. Donning the red and white number 17 — the same number as former third baseman Andrew Huang, one of the 2022 team’s top sluggers — he landed six hits in 14 at-bats over the weekend. On the bus ride home, he celebrated with a karaoke rendition of ‘Call Me Maybe’. He didn’t need the words. “I think my performance was one of the best ones,” he said. “I’m not going to say it was the best, but I think it was up there.”

In preseason interviews, head coach Pat Bloom stressed the competitiveness of the starting lineup, emphasizing that everyone on the roster would compete for starting spots. Pellegrino’s competitive at-bats showed how the team leverages experienced returners and hungry newcomers. In their first series of the season, WashU baseball swept the University of the Ozarks, outscoring the Eagles 27-11 over the course of three games. A productive offensive effort combined with strong relief outings helped the Bears to their three wins in Arkansas.

In the team’s season opener on Saturday, Ozark scored the first run against the Bears in the second inning with graduate student Matt Lopes on the mound. Lopes, who has primarily been a reliever for the Bears, “pitched with edge,” senior outfielder Broghan O’Connor said. He threw six innings and five strikeouts. WashU waited until the fourth inning for retribution when Pellegrino’s single brought in the tying run after a competitive top of the order. A wild pitch sent O’Connor scrambling home to give the Bears a one-run lead. From there, WashU only gained momentum. They added nine runs for a 10-1 win in their opener.

In the second Saturday game, the Eagles stayed competitive until the top of the ninth, when junior outfielder Kaden Bernhard singled to bring in the winning run.

The damage in the ninth was exacerbated by the top of the order, and the Bears were able to profit off of pitching slipups to bring in four runs for a 8-4 final score.

The final game of the series was similarly even; a two-run homer off of senior sidearm Kyle Coates in the ninth pushed the game into extra innings. But a clutch single from transfer Justin Zachary scored two runs. Freshman Isaac Zhang threw the last three outs to secure the sweep.

Last season, the team struggled in close games. But in the first weekend of the 2023 season, they pulled out two wins after being tied in the ninth. “We got through when things went rough,” O’Connor said. “We were confident in the tough situations, and I think that helped us win the close games this weekend.”

Fielding errors in tight matchups also hurt the Bears in their 12-24 2022 season. The team recorded seven errors in two games on Saturday before a clean final game on Sunday. O’Connor said that while they didn’t play a perfect game, Bloom was happy with how the team responded when things didn’t go right.

“The position guys gotta really help [the pitching staff] defensively,” O’Connor said. “The times we did get in trouble this weekend came when either we walked hitters, or we had unforced errors and they put us in tough spots. I think our pitching is in a good spot, and as long as you play good defense behind them, I think we’ll be fine.”

The strength of the catchers also helped the defensive focus. In the first inning of the first game, captain Hunter Goldberg sent a pitch flying across the diamond for the final out. He showcased a cannon of the arm in the first win of the season, throwing out two runners at second.

“He’s one of the best defensive catchers I’ve ever played with,” O’Connor said. “His ability to frame the ball is very, very good.”

But he isn’t the only option behind the plate; sophomore Braden Mazone also caught innings in the second game. Mazone, who Bloom identified as “the MVP of our fall, offensively”, DHed the first game in the three-hole and went 3 for 5 with WashU’s first bomb of the season. The two catchers bring different strengths, and their combined skills will give Bloom versatility and options for the next thirty-six games.

CLARA RICHARDS MANAGING EDITOR Quick

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The Bears travel to Hendrix College next weekend, a team that is currently 5-2 and defeated the Ozarks 22-5 in their opening weekend. They open at home on March 4 against IllinoisWesleyan University.

“We have a good test next weekend,” O’Connor said. “But I think the way we’re going about things, I think where our hitters are at mentally is a really good spot. The team culture is in a good spot. And so I’m excited for the year ahead.”

Last year, baseball didn’t win three games until March 16. Three opening wins this year has created momentum for this team, O’Connor said. The weekend series against Hendrix will be a good litmus test for this group, specifically for how the pitching can respond to pressure from competive at-bats. In removing the usual Florida trip from the schedule, the Bears now have a slightly lower strength-of-schedule than in prior years.

“What we ultimately hope for is some of these other nonconference matchups — that those teams are going to perform as well or better than they have in the past, and that will assist in strength of schedule,” Bloom said.

Rule changes have trickled down from the MLB to DIII baseball. Beginning in 2023, pitchers are now allowed one step-off per batter, and the pitch clock is more readily enforced. Those changes were visible in the weekend series in Arkansaw. O’Connor was granted an automatic walk from a twenty-second pitch violation. Six balks were called over the course of the weekend, creating additional traffic on the basepaths.

“The umpires were a bit picky on some things and not very picky and other things,” O’Connor said. “I think part of it soon is just kind of getting used to the playing games again —I’m sure that will get cleaned up.”