NORFOLK, Va. — ODU baseball has their sights set on making the the NCAA Tournament again this year. They're counting on a freshman to carry a pretty big share of the load. Blake Morgan, a freshman has been something of a sensation on the mound.
The transition from high school can be a challenge so Monarchs head coach Chris Finwood was patient, "We knew Blake had a chance to be good. Like most young guys, they've never been through the grind of a college baseball season and so you've got to be careful. We really treated him with kid gloves early."
Finwood's patience paid off for Morgan who says, "It was kind of hard to adjust, but once I was almost proving myself, I was getting more confidence."
The numbers are astounding. Morgan is (8-0) with a 1.69 ERA. Don't expect him to take much of the credit. He will tell you, "I think it's the defense behind me, knowing I can throw any of the three pitches I throw through the box and have it be put in play and knowing that my teammates are going to make the plays behind me is just so much easier for me."
In case you were wondering what makes Morgan so good, Finwood has a pretty good idea, "He's a top end of the food chain competitively and mentally. He doesn't light the radar gun up by any means, but he's a pitcher. I tell people all the time, everybody is looking for velocity and those kind of things, it's fun to talk about, but it's called pitching, not throwing."
Morgan got the win in ODU's conference opener on Wednesday against Middle Tennessee State. It wasn't his best outing of the year, but that's o.k. because as his coach explains, "What he does is keep you in the game at his worst and at his best, he really gives you a great chance to win."