It has been a rough go of late for Northwestern starter Joe Muraski.
After throwing a complete game gem against Minnesota on April 12, the sophomore ace has struggled to maintain that form.
In his past three starts, Muraski has gone 1-2 with a 12.60 ERA, and he has lasted only two innings in each of his previous two starts.
Coach Paul Stevens said he feels Muraski’s recent struggles have stemmed from a lack of consistency.
“Sometimes he will show flashes of brilliance,” Stevens said. “Then all of sudden he will throw a pitch that hurts him.”
On top of that, Muraski said he has been feeling some arm discomfort recently, which led to his being pulled from last Saturday’s game.
But he said he is now feeling better and ready to get back to the basics.
“I just need to start hitting my spots and getting ahead of hitters like I was at the beginning of the year,” Muraski said.
Muraski’s ability to bounce back will be crucial as the Wildcats head into the final games of the season. The left-hander said he is confident he will be ready.
“I know I can get these guys out,” Muraski said. “I have done it before and I can do it again.”
AN OVERWORKED HORSE
NU has relied heavily on reliever Matt Havey all year.
“I do not feel pain,” Havey said earlier in the season. “I am just going to pitch until they tell me to stop,”
The senior has now thrown 43 innings in 2008 – nearly double his total from freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.
To keep his arm fresh, Havey has put in more work off the field.
“I have been hitting the weight room a lot more – riding the bike, just trying to stay fresh,” he said.
But it seems Havey’s extensive workload has finally started to catch up with him in recent weekends. In his last four outings, Havey walked 12 batters in 10 innings and saw his ERA more than double to 2.57.
When asked if the workload was beginning to affect his arm, Havey shrugged it off.
“My arm feels better now than it did at the beginning of the season,” he said.
POSITION SWITCH?
Just when you thought NU’s two record-setting Jakes had done all they could for the team, they find another way to contribute: On the mound.
First baseman Jake Goebbert pitched last Saturday in a 14-4 loss to Illinois, while both he and second baseman Jake Owens saw action against Elmhurst on Sunday.
“These guys kept telling everybody what they could do in practice,” Stevens said. “I wanted to see if they could walk the walk.”
Owens was shocked when he got the call.
“I did not actually believe him at first,” Owens said. “It has been a bit of a joke all year, but I never thought he would actually do it.”
Owens’s first appearance was, as he put it, “effectively wild.” With a fastball pushing 88 mph, Owens walked two batters and struck out one in two-thirds of inning.
Goebbert, who pitched four years in high school, gave up one hit in two innings of work but said it ranks among his most nerve-racking experiences.
“I was shaking,” Goebbert said. “I checked a runner who was not there, I was so nervous.”
Despite the jitters, Goebbert said the experience was worthwhile.
“We were running low on arms,” he said. “As long as they did not put in a pitcher that actually matters.”
When asked if he felt his job was jeopardy, Havey laughed.
“Personally, I would rather have Owens at second base,” he said.
