SE: Marolf Responds Well to Adversity, Helps K-State BSB Clinch 5-2 Win to Start Series vs. Texas
Mar 30, 2018 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
If K-State relief pitcher Jared Marolf has a bad outing, it's best just to expect him to bounce back in a good way. It's what he's done all this season for K-State, most recently this week.
After giving up two earned runs (three total) on one hit and a walk in last Friday's 4-2 loss at No. 15 TCU, Marolf responded in a positive manner.
On Tuesday, he notched two shutout innings in a win against Omaha. He followed it up with 1 2/3 key innings of relief in a 5-2 win for K-State (14-12, 1-3 Big 12) in the series opener against Texas (16-11, 5-2 Big 12) on Thursday night at Tointon Family Stadium.
"It's going to happen," Marolf said of bad outings. "It's baseball. Things are going to not go your way. That's life, so you just have to bounce back and focus on this pitch, this at-bat."
Against Texas, Marolf had to focus in a hurry. He entered abruptly with one out in the sixth inning when starter Kasey Ford was taken out of the game.
Marolf, inheriting runners on first and second, struck out the first batter he faced with an off-speed pitch. He walked the next batter to load the bases but forced a groundout to follow and escape any damage to keep K-State up, 4-1.
"I've been in those situations where people tell you to get hot pretty quick, so I'm pretty used to that," Marolf said of his quick entrance. "The big thing is just keeping focused on the pitch at hand not getting too wrapped in the score and how close it is or the guy on second or third, or whatever it is, but just staying in the moment.
"It's all about the mindset, that you approach each thing the same. If you don't, that's when you run into trouble.
Marolf ran into a little trouble to start the seventh inning. He allowed a single and a double to open the frame but battled again to keep his team in the lead. With two runners in scoring position, the right-handed sophomore got a soft liner hit to Brett Owen at second base for the first out. A sacrifice fly cut K-State's lead to 4-2 but Marolf forced another groundout afterward to keep it there.
"I'm obviously thinking groundball," Marolf said of his mindset early in the seventh, "but, ultimately, it's still about making that pitch at that time."
"That was a big deal right there, minimizing that thing to one run," K-State head coach Brad Hill said of the seventh frame. "Last year he showed that nature of being able to go out there and pitch through really tough situations and he's kind of continued that on this year. We put the ball in his hands and he forces a lot of bad swings. That's the thing he does, force a lot of bad swings."
This year, Marolf has been more effective at it, too.
As a freshman, Marolf accumulated a 4.03 ERA in 38 innings of work. After Thursday's outing, he owns a 2.78 ERA in 22 2/3 innings.
"Last year I'd get a little ahead of myself when runners would get on and getting caught up in the score," he said. "I was just pressing too much. It's just about taking a step back and realizing that, to get to the point you want to, you have to stay focused."
If K-State relief pitcher Jared Marolf has a bad outing, it's best just to expect him to bounce back in a good way. It's what he's done all this season for K-State, most recently this week.
After giving up two earned runs (three total) on one hit and a walk in last Friday's 4-2 loss at No. 15 TCU, Marolf responded in a positive manner.
On Tuesday, he notched two shutout innings in a win against Omaha. He followed it up with 1 2/3 key innings of relief in a 5-2 win for K-State (14-12, 1-3 Big 12) in the series opener against Texas (16-11, 5-2 Big 12) on Thursday night at Tointon Family Stadium.
"It's going to happen," Marolf said of bad outings. "It's baseball. Things are going to not go your way. That's life, so you just have to bounce back and focus on this pitch, this at-bat."
Against Texas, Marolf had to focus in a hurry. He entered abruptly with one out in the sixth inning when starter Kasey Ford was taken out of the game.
Marolf, inheriting runners on first and second, struck out the first batter he faced with an off-speed pitch. He walked the next batter to load the bases but forced a groundout to follow and escape any damage to keep K-State up, 4-1.
"I've been in those situations where people tell you to get hot pretty quick, so I'm pretty used to that," Marolf said of his quick entrance. "The big thing is just keeping focused on the pitch at hand not getting too wrapped in the score and how close it is or the guy on second or third, or whatever it is, but just staying in the moment.
"It's all about the mindset, that you approach each thing the same. If you don't, that's when you run into trouble.
Marolf ran into a little trouble to start the seventh inning. He allowed a single and a double to open the frame but battled again to keep his team in the lead. With two runners in scoring position, the right-handed sophomore got a soft liner hit to Brett Owen at second base for the first out. A sacrifice fly cut K-State's lead to 4-2 but Marolf forced another groundout afterward to keep it there.
"I'm obviously thinking groundball," Marolf said of his mindset early in the seventh, "but, ultimately, it's still about making that pitch at that time."
"That was a big deal right there, minimizing that thing to one run," K-State head coach Brad Hill said of the seventh frame. "Last year he showed that nature of being able to go out there and pitch through really tough situations and he's kind of continued that on this year. We put the ball in his hands and he forces a lot of bad swings. That's the thing he does, force a lot of bad swings."
This year, Marolf has been more effective at it, too.
As a freshman, Marolf accumulated a 4.03 ERA in 38 innings of work. After Thursday's outing, he owns a 2.78 ERA in 22 2/3 innings.
"Last year I'd get a little ahead of myself when runners would get on and getting caught up in the score," he said. "I was just pressing too much. It's just about taking a step back and realizing that, to get to the point you want to, you have to stay focused."
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