The RoundHouse | 9/16/2019 3:43:00 PM
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Wichita State baseball pitching coach
Mike Pelfrey joins the podcast to get fans updated on fall practices and Saturday's 2 p.m. scrimmage vs. Nebraska.
On Shocker baseball under coach Eric Wedge
"Every little detail matters to him. That, obviously, is an adjustment to them and I think they're still learning. That's what they have to do if they want to be good. They're starting to make strides."
On Saturday's scrimmage and how it helps the coaching staff evaluate
"Nebraska's a team that made a regional last year. That will give (Wedge) some feedback to see where we stand."
On his pickup basketball game with former Shockers
"I used to play as much as four or five times a week, early in the morning. Not as much, obviously, with baseball it gets harder to do that. I play with a lot of former Shockers. I love setting the pick and roll. If they guy goes under, I always pop and I love to shoot threes. Everybody loves to shoot threes.
"Brandon Hall plays, and he's a pretty good athlete. Joe Muich plays. I've played with Tyler Grimes. Taylor Gilmore, who can still play and jump around. Kyle Touchatt. Kenny Waddell. Brandon Hall is the best shooter. I'm probably the biggest defender. Joe Muich, he gets a little lazy on defense at times and he lets his guy go because he knows I'm down there to jump and contest."
On junior transfer Jake Hamilton, one of the top pitching newcomers
He will be 89-93 (mph) with a really, really high spin rate on his fastball. He has a really, really good changeup. He begins throwing (Monday), building up. Fans won't get a chance to see him in the fall, but he'll be throwing bullpens by the end and we'll get him ready by the spring."
On how catchers and pitchers work on pitch selection
"When it's rolling, hopefully, the pitcher doesn't have to do much thinking. The catcher can put something down, there's total trust, and he throws the pitch."
On working with Wedge
"He's a huge resource for those pitchers. He came down the other day and talked and he has a different presence about him. He was able, with (Tommy) Barnhouse, something clicked. Something that I've been trying to get to click and he got it to click in 15 minutes. Just a different way to go about it."
On first meeting Wedge
"I talked to him for 40 seconds at (Gene Stephenson's) Hall of Fame thing (in 2018), when he came back and spoke. He told me he didn't remember. I obviously remember speaking to him. You don't forget a guy like that. His presence and his tone."
