The RoundHouse | 3/14/2024 6:31:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Tyler Dobbs gets help on the subtle art of throwing a slider from teammate
Caden Favors and, man, is it working.
Dobbs, a freshman from Lewisville, Texas, shut down Nebraska for five innings in Wichita State's 9-3 win on Wednesday at Eck Stadium. Dobbs held the Huskers to one hit – a leadoff double in the first inning – struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
"He was keeping them off-balance, and he is super competitive," WSU coach
Brian Green said. "He's pitching like an experienced guy. He has a very steady personality, and that's something you love to see in a starter."
The Shockers (10-6) bounced back from Tuesday's 8-6 loss with four first-inning runs and five in the second, highlighted by a grand slam by right fielder
Seth Stroh. Nebraska (10-5) entered the game No. 3 in the RPI.
Dobbs, a lefty, made that early edge stand up by keeping the Huskers and their lineup stacked with right-handers under control. He threw 64 pitches, 42 strikes, and produced five groundball outs and three in the air. His slider and changeup kept the Huskers from making good contact and he mixed in well-placed fastballs.
"I had my slider going," he said. "In the week leading up to today, I had to make sure I got my slider going."
He stranded a runner at third in the first inning by striking out Nebraska's No. 3 and No. 4 hitters. He ended the third with called third strikes on the first two hitters in the lineup to retire Nebraska in order. He also faced the minimum in the fourth, helped by a double play, and fifth innings.
Dobbs feels a kinship with Favors, a senior lefty who starts on Friday nights for WSU.
"He's done the same stuff I have," Dobbs said. "He wasn't a big, huge recruit, just like me. It's nice to have him to lean on."
When Favors notices his head or shoulders a bit out of position, Dobbs listens and makes the correction. During bullpen sessions and in between innings, Favors is available for advice.
"He'll tell me that I need to keep my head straight," Dobbs said. "Sometimes I'll leave (the slider) out and when I'm doing it that goes to show, as Favors says, my head is tilting."
Dobbs lowered his earned run average to 0.56 in his second start and sixth appearance. He also gave the Shockers five scoreless innings in a 3-1 win at Oral Roberts in late February as a reliever.
"He's mentally prepared and he takes his craft seriously," catcher
Alex Birge said. "He really has a good feeling for his emotions, and also his stuff. It's really uncomfortable for lefties."
On Tuesday, the Shockers let struggling Nebraska pitchers off the hook. On Wednesday, the Shockers took advantage of runners in the first two innings and sent nine hitters to the plate in both.
Jordan Rogers tripled in two runs in the first.
In the second, reliever Caleb Clark walked the leadoff batter and issued a two-out walk to
Ryan Callahan. Rogers followed with a single to load the bases. Stroh, from Kearney, Neb., fell behind 0-2 before taking a ball and hitting the next pitch out to right field for a 9-0 lead. Two of his close friends in the Nebraska dugout watched.
"Pretty special," he said.
Stroh knew the Huskers would throw him breaking pitches. He said he saw five straight sliders and hit the sixth.
"Expecting it, I was sitting back and letting the bat work," he said. "I had to see it early and stay back."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
