Baseball draft, Mike Pelfrey elected to postpone his dreams
of playing in the pros to join WSU’s tradition-rich program.
Long-time pitching coach Brent Kemnitz ’80 has seen more than his share of outstanding newcomers, young guys blessed with live arms, take the mound for WSU’s baseball teams.
Traditionally strong in pitching, the Shockers have produced numerous hard-throwing All-Americans and professional prospects: Erik Sonberg fs ’83, Darren Dreifort ’95, Braden Looper fs ’96. The list could go on.
So it’s a high compliment that Kemnitz, in his 25th year at WSU, bestows upon the team’s latest fireballing freshman, Mike Pelfrey.
“He’s certainly among the very best pitchers we’ve had coming in,” Kemnitz says. “He’s a special talent.”
Just how special remains to be seen, of course, but Pelfrey has shown signs that all that promise will translate into overpowering performances during his Shocker career.
A tall right-hander who graduated from Wichita Heights High School, Pelfrey emerged early as the top starter for WSU, which was 22-11 and 7-1 in the MVC after the second weekend of conference play. As of April 7, Pelfrey, tied with David Sanders with four victories, led the staff in earned-run average (3.09), innings pitched (43.2) and strikeouts (34).
“So far, it’s been pretty good,” Pelfrey says of his freshman season. “I’ve struggled a little bit at times, but I’m figuring things out.”
Pelfrey’s stuff is electric at times, evidenced by a team-best opponents’ batting average of .185 and the fact that 20 of his 34 strikeout victims have been caught looking at strike three. Twenty batters frozen by strike three — that’s what a fastball in the mid 90s, delivered by a 6-foot-7 pitcher, can accomplish.
“He throws a two- and four-seam fastball,” Kemnitz says. “He’s getting more consistent with his breaking ball, and he’s picking up a straight change.”
Pelfrey’s first two Valley starts were particularly effective. In wins against Illinois State and Northern Iowa, he pitched a combined 14 innings, allowing just two hits, two earned runs and striking out 15. The Northern Iowa game showed his dominance but also revealed that he, like any freshman pitcher, is still a work in progress.
In a performance that Shocker coach Gene Stephenson called “overpowering,” he struck out eight and allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work. But he left the game, with a no-hitter, no less, because a high number of walks (five) pushed his pitch count to 110.
Other signs that he isn’t yet completely polished: He’s hit seven batters, the most on the team, and balked six times. “He is sound in a lot of areas,” Kemnitz says, “but there are several things that need to be refined.” Pelfrey agrees.
He was accustomed to overpowering batters at Heights High. But he has learned that Division I hitters on the nation’s top teams, which the Shockers have faced in a grueling nonconference schedule, are capable of catching up to 90-mph fastballs — if they’re across the plate.
“I need to work on all my pitches, get to where I can throw ’em where I want ’em,” says Pelfrey, who has allowed a team-high seven home runs. “At this level, you can’t throw a fastball down the middle and get away with it.”
Selected by Tampa Bay in the Major League Baseball draft, Pelfrey elected to postpone his dreams of playing in the pros to join WSU’s tradition-rich program. “Growing up in Wichita, I was a big fan,” he says.
His favorite players are Dreifort, a Los Angeles Dodgers starter, and Casey Blake fs ’96, who won the Cleveland Indians’ third base job out of spring training. Pelfrey hopes one day to join them in the majors. “I definitely want to play in the big leagues and be a success there,” he says.
Kemnitz is optimistic about Pelfrey’s chances: “If he keeps improving, he can be a complete pitcher. The sky’s the limit with this kid.”
