Matt McCall: The Journey of a Closer
3/26/2014 1:43:00 PM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. - It's March 9th and the Georgia Southern Eagles are leading the Holy Cross Crusades 9-4 after seven innings, and Georgia Southern looks like it's headed for its 14th win of the season before the Crusaders pull within two runs in the eighth inning.
Following a two-run double by Alex Voitik, Head Coach Rodney Hennon stepped out onto the field at J.I. Clements Stadium and made the call to the bullpen to bring in his closer Matt McCall.
Five years ago the notion of coming out of the bullpen might have seemed foreign to McCall, who was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman team as a starting pitcher at Mercer. McCall began his career in Macon, Ga. with the Bears and helped them to an A-Sun Tournament Title and a NCAA Regional berth as a member of the weekend rotation.
"They offered me a great scholarship, and it was a great school that my parents and I really admired. I wasn't a big travel ball kind of guy and going to Mercer was my best option," McCall said.
McCall spent one more season at Mercer before leaving baseball after the 2011 season. The righthander wasn't gone long before finding his way back to the game in Statesboro, Ga. McCall joined the team for the 2013 season and went 3-2 with a 6.14 ERA in 24 games. He picked up four saves that season and earned his first GSU win over his old team on March 12th.
"I played here at Georgia Southern when I was at Mercer, and I really liked it over here. I felt like here was a better fit. My only regret is that I didn't come here my first year. I have enjoyed it ever since I stepped foot on campus. I feel like this is perfect for me. I have really enjoyed it since I have been here," McCall said.
Coming into his senior season, McCall found himself struggling with his normal throwing motion.
"When I came back this year, I just wasn't as sharp as I was over the top. I asked the coaches if they were cool with me trying whatever I needed to stay in the game for one more year," McCall said.
The change in throwing motion allowed McCall to pitch more often and to appear in more games than he would have been able to throwing over the top.
"I enjoy being in relief because you get to be a part of every game. I feel like I get to help the team out a lot more often than when I used to start," McCall said. "It is a different process. It is different getting prepared for each game. I am comfortable with it now and it is exciting being a part of every game."
When Coach Hennon made the call to the bullpen to bring in McCall, he knew he was giving the Eagles their best shot to secure the victory. McCall recorded a ground out to leave a base runner at second base in the eighth inning and erased the tying run in the ninth inning with a game-ending double play.
McCall has a shot to finish his career on the Eagles' top-10 saves list and has already recorded five saves in 15 appearances.
McCall and the Eagles will be back in action at Davidson this weekend. The three-game series opens Friday at 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics.
Following a two-run double by Alex Voitik, Head Coach Rodney Hennon stepped out onto the field at J.I. Clements Stadium and made the call to the bullpen to bring in his closer Matt McCall.
Five years ago the notion of coming out of the bullpen might have seemed foreign to McCall, who was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman team as a starting pitcher at Mercer. McCall began his career in Macon, Ga. with the Bears and helped them to an A-Sun Tournament Title and a NCAA Regional berth as a member of the weekend rotation.
"They offered me a great scholarship, and it was a great school that my parents and I really admired. I wasn't a big travel ball kind of guy and going to Mercer was my best option," McCall said.
McCall spent one more season at Mercer before leaving baseball after the 2011 season. The righthander wasn't gone long before finding his way back to the game in Statesboro, Ga. McCall joined the team for the 2013 season and went 3-2 with a 6.14 ERA in 24 games. He picked up four saves that season and earned his first GSU win over his old team on March 12th.
"I played here at Georgia Southern when I was at Mercer, and I really liked it over here. I felt like here was a better fit. My only regret is that I didn't come here my first year. I have enjoyed it ever since I stepped foot on campus. I feel like this is perfect for me. I have really enjoyed it since I have been here," McCall said.
Coming into his senior season, McCall found himself struggling with his normal throwing motion.
"When I came back this year, I just wasn't as sharp as I was over the top. I asked the coaches if they were cool with me trying whatever I needed to stay in the game for one more year," McCall said.
The change in throwing motion allowed McCall to pitch more often and to appear in more games than he would have been able to throwing over the top.
"I enjoy being in relief because you get to be a part of every game. I feel like I get to help the team out a lot more often than when I used to start," McCall said. "It is a different process. It is different getting prepared for each game. I am comfortable with it now and it is exciting being a part of every game."
When Coach Hennon made the call to the bullpen to bring in McCall, he knew he was giving the Eagles their best shot to secure the victory. McCall recorded a ground out to leave a base runner at second base in the eighth inning and erased the tying run in the ninth inning with a game-ending double play.
McCall has a shot to finish his career on the Eagles' top-10 saves list and has already recorded five saves in 15 appearances.
McCall and the Eagles will be back in action at Davidson this weekend. The three-game series opens Friday at 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics.
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