The RoundHouse | 3/11/2024 1:38:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Baseball success,
Nate Adler knows, is often about simple, subtle alterations in how one places fingers on a baseball or moves while throwing that baseball.
It is also about opportunity.
Adler, a senior pitcher from Andover, is using both to move into a prime role in Wichita State's bullpen. On Sunday, he closed a series win over Long Beach State with three scoreless, hitless innings in an 8-2 win.
"Baseball is a game of minor changes that can make a big difference," he said.
Adler is making a much bigger difference for the Shockers this spring. Last season, he appeared in five games and totaled 3 2/3 innings. On Sunday, he earned his fourth save of the season in his fifth appearance in Wichita State's 8-2 win over Long Beach State.
"He's been one of our go-to arms," catcher
Mauricio Millan said. "He embraced the fact he had to be one of our guys. A big part of it was understanding we had an entirely new team, and he was going to have to step up and take a bigger role."
This spring, Adler has thrown 8 2/3 innings and hasn't allowed an earned run or an extra-base hit. At Oral Roberts, he stranded runners in scoring position with a flyball and a groundout to preserve a 3-1 win. On Sunday, he worked around two walks in the seventh with WSU up 6-2 and retired the Dirtbags in order in the eighth and ninth.
The work of turning Adler into a helpful part of the bullpen started last summer with new pitching coach
Anthony Claggett. Throughout the summer and the fall, they changed the grip on his slider to improve that pitch and worked on the timing of his windup to get his legs in sync.
Those changes help Adler throw the baseball the same way consistently, which helps his control.
"They helped me settle down on a slider," Adler said. "Coach Claggett was here over the summer, so we got some early work in. I felt good going into the fall, because we had already talked on what he needs me to work on. It was nice to see that come to fruition."
Coach
Brian Green sees the improvement in the slider as key to Adler's progress.
"Coach Claggett was on him pretty early that he thought he could help because of how heavy his ball is," Green said. "We liked the fact that he's older and experienced. He doesn't get rattled or flustered."
The Shockers (9-5) won their third straight weekend series and won a series from Long Beach State (10-3-1) for the first time since 2009. Wichita State manufactured its eight runs on four hits, five walks and four hit batsmen. Freshman third baseman Cam Johnson drove in four runs, two with a single, one with a sacrifice fly and one with a groundout.
Those are good signs for Green, who liked his team's ability to put the ball in play, hit with two strikes and take advantage of opportunities.
"(Long Beach State is) really tough on the mound," Green said. "To be able to learn how to win a game like that, when it's not really going well, and you've really got to fight . . . we're going to be in a lot of those. We've got to be able to win when we're not hitting."
The Shockers play Nebraska (9-4) on Tuesday and Wednesday (both at 6 p.m.) at Eck Stadium.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
