The California Lutheran University Kingsmen baseball team has been adjusting to its pitching rotation this season due to role changes, impacted by a recent injury of fifth-year pitcher JJ Frazier.
Frazier said he was recovering from a previous injury in the fall and struggled for a bit before coming back for this season, until he experienced forearm soreness during the first two weekend series.
“I went out there and I just felt like I had no power and, like, in my arm was like, I’d throw a pitch and my nerves would tingle and I couldn’t throw my right arm. I mean, I just feel like it’s been tough,” Frazier said.
According to Frazier, other pitchers have had to step up in his absence, one of those being sophomore Frank Willius.
“Obviously you don’t want this to happen, especially coming back, like, for another year and stuff,” Frazier said.
Frazier said he still has a senior role as a mentor to the younger pitchers. Frazier said he provides the younger pitchers with guidance and tips based on what he has learned in his years of pitching on the team.
“Even if they struggle, … they just gotta stay calm, like, you can’t overthink anything, because once you think, [like] you already lost,” Frazier said. “I think a lot of guys, like, they just overthink stuff and they don’t realize, like, I guess the opportunity too that they have. They just gotta stay focused.”
According to sophomore pitcher Oscar Lopez, the team’s current pitching rotation relies on three starters, Luke Wechsler, Leo Bristow, and Frank Willius. After that, Head Coach Erik Scherer decides who goes next after the starters.
“You don’t really get told when you’re going in, it’s kind of just like after those three guys, you’re either going in one day or you’re not, and just waiting for your turn,” Lopez said.
Wechsler said the team’s weekend series games have been phenomenal this season. According to Wechsler, the three starters have been pitching well, and this season has been the best for him.
“We’re really working hard and doing what we need to do to help us win games and take us far,” Wechsler said.
Lopez said Frazier’s injury has impacted this season’s pitching rotation since he was supposed to be the second-game starter.
“It kind of made us realize, we gotta step up on the bullpen as a whole. We’re losing a big piece,” Lopez said.
According to Wechsler, Frazier’s injury has been a big loss; however, Wechsler also said Frazier is working toward coming back soon.
“He was a guy that we could rely on last year, and it kind of hurts that he’s not with us, and he’s not on the mound. He really wants to be on the mound and pitch again for his last year,” Wechsler said.
Lopez said that without Frazier, he and the other pitchers realized they would have to step up more than last season.
“We’re all prepared and ready to get our name called, whether he got hurt or something else had happened, like we were all prepared for that,” Lopez said.
According to Lopez, the baseball team has resources, including coaches, trainers, and a mental health instructor to support them.
“Every week on Monday, we have a mental health coach that comes, helps us out with our mental health, with whether we are stressed or any of that stuff,” Lopez said.
Wechsler said the main goal of this season is to win the national championship.
The Kingsmen have three weekend series remaining this season. Frazier said he hopes to be able to return to the mound in the remaining three series.
“If I come back for the last three series’ and, I mean, pitch my heart out, and try to get like All-SCIAC, again, that’d be a big accomplishment. This year I was at least trying to go over my 40 plus innings for, like, career and then strikeouts as well,” Frazier said.
