The RoundHouse | 3/17/2019 5:27:00 PM

 
Wichita State baseball coaches set two priorities for Sunday's series finale against Rhode Island. If the plan worked, one priority would lead right into the next.
 
Thanks to freshman lefty Cal Carver, the plan worked. 
 
The Shockers desperately needed a starter give the bullpen a break and they needed to find a candidate for the rotation when American Athletic Conference play starts on Friday vs. Memphis.
 
Carver just might be that dude – as pitching coach Mike Pelfrey said - after the 5-1 win over Rhode Island at Eck Stadium. 
 
"Today was a big day for him," Shockers coach Todd Butler said. "He answered the call. We feel like he could be a rotation guy on the weekend."
 
Carver's 6 1/3 innings (and 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief by Alex Segal) made for a happy Sunday after the Shockers lost both games of a Saturday doubleheader. Wichita State pitchers walked 11 in a 13-8 loss and eight in a 6-1 loss.
 
Carver walked two and struck four, allowing five hits and one run. He walked both in the second inning, loading the bases, before striking out Austin White to end the inning. He made his second start as a Shocker, improving after a two-inning outing at Oklahoma State on March 6 in which he allowed four runs.
 
That start, Carver, just wasn't his day. On Sunday, he made it his day and helped the Shockers (8-11) split the four-game series with the Rams (4-10).
 
"I just had to stay around the zone, stay around the plate," Carver said. "It's definitely a lot more mental in college. Everybody is really, really good. You have to stay focused for every pitch, otherwise you can spiral out of control really quick."
 
Carver's four-pitch mix helps him keep hitters from making solid contact. On Sunday, he used his off-speed pitches effectively and produced 11 groundball outs. The performance reminded Butler of the assets he liked from Carver's career at San Antonio's Reagan High School.
 
"He's a very confident pitcher, and I think that comes back to being in the program he was at in Texas," Butler said. "He doesn't throw hard, but he can really pitch."
 
Pelfrey also sees that confidence.
 
"He's not afraid of anything," Pelfrey said. "You know you're going to get strikes and you know he's going to compete and he's going to give you a chance."
 
Carver's 6 1/3 innings is the longest outing by a starter since Feb. 23, when Liam Eddy threw seven innings vs. Stephen F. Austin and Preston Snavely threw 6 1/3 vs. Texas-Arlington. 
 
The Shocker bullpen needed a break.
 
"We talked about somebody stepping up and giving us length," Pelfrey said. "We need to get some length out of our starters. If you want a bullpen to be good, they can't throw five or six innings every day. He stepped up, obviously big time for a freshman."
 
Before Sunday's game, Pelfrey reminded his pitchers that they don't need to throw the perfect pitch every time. He sees the walks plaguing the staff as a product of pitchers trying to be too precise.
 
"We've walked a ton of people," he said. "In their head, they think in order to be good, you have to be perfect. They end up falling behind in the counts, putting yourself in bad situations. Carver stepped up. Segal was on today."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.