Before the baseball season began, Head Coach Chris Hanks mentioned how deep the pitching staff would be for Colorado Mesa University in the 2019 season. Fast forward to early May, and Hanks was correct in his assessment.
From seniors to standout freshman, the CMU pitching staff has been as deep as it’s ever been. There have been several arms who have contributed at high levels throughout the year. None more so than JR McDermott and Garrett Hutson, who have shared the “ace” label this season.
McDermott finished last season with just three starts under his belt after he went down with a season-ending injury. His return has been nothing short of spectacular.
This season, he’s pitched at an All-Star pace with an earned run average of 2.29 in 55 innings. The right-hander got off to a blistering start to this season with just one run allowed in 18 innings, his first four appearances, and although Hanks and the coaching staff have limited his workload, he’s continued to be a steady presence atop a strong Maverick rotation.
McDermott hasn’t just been limiting runs; he’s been missing bats too. He’s struck out 58 batters and has walked only 12, leading to one of the better strikeouts to walk ratios in the RMAC. His windup is slower to develop than other starters, but it’s one that’s helped his offspeed keep opposing hitters off balance.
He remains undefeated on the year with a 7-0 record and has a WHIP that sits at 1.15. It’s been quite the bounce-back year for someone who lost most of their junior season to injury. It’s the type of season fans love to see. Some pitchers struggle when they come back from injury, but McDermott has always had the talent to return to what he’s been known for: an All-American pitcher.
With his workload limited, he should be well rested come playoff time. The Mavericks are having another standout season as they always do, and you can bet McDermott will be a top option for Hanks, as a starter or a dangerous bullpen arm.
Hanks has had the benefit of having transfer Hutson as another option to give him quality innings. It’s not every season you see a team with two pitchers capable of throwing no-hitters each time they take the mound at the top of your rotation but it’s a luxury CMU has enjoyed this year with the arrival of Hutson.
The senior has a higher release point than most starters in the RMAC, but it’s been what has made him one of the best. The high release allows his fastball to look even quicker and adds deception with his offspeed pitches.
Those mechanics and high release have helped him lead the team in strikeouts with 81. His 2.66 ERA sits a hair above McDermott’s, but he’s pitched 9 ⅓ more innings than his co-ace. He also leads the team in WHIP at .94, meaning he averages less than a baserunner an inning.
He’s thrown four double-digit strikeouts games this season to go with five complete games.
Before his worst start of the season, he was on a stretch where he allowed eight runs across 38 innings of work, by far one of the most dominant stretches by an RMAC starter this season.
In only two starts this year he has allowed more than four runs. Teams struggle to hit against him, evident due to his .197 batting average against. It’s not easy to time up his release point, and although some players have (seven home runs allowed), it hasn’t been often.
There’s a lot of power that comes from his right arm, and along with co-ace McDermott, they might show the frontline stuff that so many teams would love to have come playoff time.
Kyle Leahy in his past few seasons held the ace title for the Mavericks as one of their most accomplished arms in recent memory. He was the type of arm you wanted to see on the mound, or as a coach, the one you wanted for a pivotal obe-game elimination. This season, CMU has two of those types of arms, and maybe more with the arrival of Andrew Morris and veteran AJ Landis.
McDermott and Hutson have the ability to carry this staff far into postseason play. They can do that at the start of the game and from the bullpen, which makes them even more effective.
For them, it’s all about putting it together as the playoffs near.
