By: Kim Arjune, Contributing Writer
In baseball, all roles are important. From the pitcher to the left fielder, every component is vital to a team’s success. But what about the catcher? Do they really just catch balls the entire game?
If catching was as simple as it is perceived, Travis d’Arnaud, Kevin Plawecki and Anthony Recker would not have such high paying contracts.
Contrary to popular belief, the job of a catcher is more than backing a pitcher up. Catchers have to calculate all possible outcomes, call pitches and lead the team since they have a full view of the entire field. For the Wofford Terriers, Cody Miller and Carson Waln have proven to be leaders that can lead the Terriers to victory this season.
Miller, a sophomore catcher, is a catcher who can rake. Miller, who played against Rider University, scored the first grand slam the Terriers have seen since 2014, bringing the Terriers 6-2 against Rider in the third inning.
The game ended with the Terriers winning 7-5, bringing the team to a 6-0 winning streak in the preseason. Along with Miller’s grand slam, the Terriers were brought to victory by sophomore infielder Alex Malsch, sophomore outfielder McClain Bradley and sophomore pitcher Adam Scott, and the game was closed by senior pitcher Will Stillman.
Stillman was among the two players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Stillman, a right-handed pitcher for the Terriers, was drafted in the 29th round as the 861st selection for the Boston Red Sox, and Luke Leftwich, also a right-handed pitcher, was drafted in the 7th round as the 204th selection for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Boasting a 3.37 ERA in 13.1 innings from the previous season, Stillman was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year as a relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
Not only did Stillman have a solid end to his junior season, but he enters the 2016 season with five saves thus far, ending the game against the University of North Carolina, Asheville, in the ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Terrier baseball has the teamwork to make the dream work. With a strong start against University of Kentucky, the team has won every game they’ve played so far, the most recent being an 8-5 win against the University of North Carolina, Asheville.
The game was started by junior pitcher Jacob Condra-Bogan, followed by junior pitcher Elliot Lance in the fifth, junior pitcher Jordan Accetta in the seventh and closed by Stillman in the ninth. Sophomore infielder Max McDougald, junior outfielder Kody Ruedisili and sophomore catcher Miller were among the hits made by the Terriers, making three hits each.
With the season 7-0 as of now, the Terriers faced off against the Clemson Tigers March 1 at 4:00 p.m. at the Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
