The RoundHouse | 4/18/2018 9:19:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
The date sticks with pitchers and becomes the start of a new baseball life.
 
"Aug. 23, 2016," Wichita State freshman right-hander Jacob Lindemann said, 25 seconds into the interview detailing his first college innings.
 
Lindemann can add April 17, 2018 to his calendar of memories. He hit a milestone in his recovery from 2016 ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery (commonly known as Tommy John surgery) with three solid innings in Wichita State's 8-2 win over Central Arkansas at Eck Stadium.
 
On Tuesday morning, Lindemann considered himself a redshirt. Around 2 p.m., Shocker pitching coach Mike Steele asked if he wanted to pitch. Injuries put the Shockers in need, especially when staring at a five-game week. Lindemann stuck to his routine – he waited until after the game to inform his parents – and got ready to relieve starter Preston Snavely.
 
"I was a little nervous," he said. "I don't really think about it too much. I just knew I was going to go out there and throw."
 
Recovery from surgery limited Lindemann's work during the fall. Coach Todd Butler liked what he saw in small amounts and especially liked his velocity.
 
"We were really . . . patient with him, because he had had Tommy John," Butler said. "We need some guys to step up and take some innings."
 
Lindemann, from Burlington, Wis., justified Butler's faith. He didn't allow a hit or a run, struck out one batter and walked two. He retired six hitters on groundballs, including a double play in the sixth.
 
As a junior in high school, Lindemann went 10-1 with a 0.81 ERA and helped Burlington win a state title. That summer, he felt the well-known tightness in his arm, ultimately leading to surgery. He played first base as a senior. Tuesday marked his return to pitching. The first sight of opposing batters in a real game didn't seem to bother him.
 
"It went pretty good," he said. "I was hitting some spots."
 
Butler expressed more excitement.
 
"He was 90-92 mph . . . he has a good slider and a very good change-up," he said. "Lindemann – he just kept working. Not a big talker. Never complained. Never got on the mound. Tonight, he gets on the mound and he looks like he could be a guy for us."
 
Tuesday was a step-up kind of night for Shocker pitching. Mid-week games can be an adventure where pitching plans can unravel quickly. Snavely matched his career-high with five innings and didn't allow an earned run. Lindemann relieved him before freshman Paxton Wallace, also making his debut on the mound, finished with an inning.
 
The 24^th-ranked Shockers (25-9) put together a plan and it worked. Wichita State plays Kansas on Wednesday at Eck Stadium before heading to Houston for a weekend series. Snavely and Lindemann – plus a 6-0 lead after two innings – give the Shockers a shot to keep arms fresh all week.
 
"My job tonight was to go what I did and save the bullpen," Snavely said. "We need to do what a starter does and go five or six (innings) and keep the bullpen out of the game."
 
Snavely, a sophomore, struck out five and allowed one hit. He survived two two-out walks and a fielding error behind him in the first inning. He had not worked past the fourth inning in his previous four starts.
 
"I knew I was going to get out of it, and that's something I may have been struggling with my past two or three starts," he said. "If I made an error, or we made an error, or if I walked someone, it was like a negative thing. I didn't focus on that. I focused on the next pitch, getting that next guy out."
 
It's mid-April and Butler sees a team that is improving and adding to its depth. That is crucial for a team fighting to stay in the American Athletic Conference race and for an NCAA regional spot.
 
"There's a lot of competition and it's tough making out the lineup," he said. "Guys keep working and guys are getting better. That's our main focus for April – getting better for the month of May."
 
Butler said Sunday starter Tommy Barnhouse won't pitch at Houston due to an unspecified arm injury, but is expected to return soon. Connor Lungwitz, who hasn't pitched since April 7, is close to a return. 
 
"Busy week," Butler said. "We think (Barnhouse) will be back, hopefully quickly. Lungwitz has been down. Hopefully, he'll be back this weekend. So, you have to have some guys step up."
 
Two errors by the Shockers continued a stretch of careless fielding. Butler said he believes is uncharacteristic for an experienced team. Wichita State committed six errors in a 1-2 series vs. UConn, which added to the struggles by starting pitchers Codi Heuer and Liam Eddy. 
 
"I think we're good – we're just going through a period of not playing good defense," he said. "We work every day. They're out early to get their defensive work. I know we can play a lot better defense than we've shown. It's not really a concern; it's something that has to get better."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.