Azusa Pacific baseball struggled (to say the least) in its opening road series against Cal State Monterey Bay. The Cougars were swept for the first time since being swept by the Otters early in the 2016 season. It’s been the Cougars offense that has struggled out of the gate this season. After averaging 8.2 runs per game in the 2019 season, APU is averaging just 3.1 runs per game to begin the year. They also averaged an absurd 1.95 home runs per game in 2019 compared to averaging less than one home run per game (0.86) through the first seven games of the season.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Cougars pitching has some valuable pieces. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out where all the right pieces fit. A.J. Woodall pitched well in his second start even though he received the loss. He allowed just two earned runs in 5.2 innings while striking out seven. He now has 16 strikeouts in his first 10.2 innings, which correlates with a huge improvement in swing and a miss rate from last season. He leads the Cougars in strikeouts by double digits with the next closest pitcher being reliever John Szczesny who has six. Szczesny has also put together an impressive start to his 2020 campaign allowing just one run in 4.1 total innings. Szczesny has always had the tools to become one of the Cougars best, if not the best reliever, on the entire pitching staff but his numbers would suggest otherwise. Now, as a senior, it looks as if he could be the guy the Cougars turn to in the biggest situations late in the game. Don’t be surprised if he ends the season with the most saves on the team. Starters Nick Estrella and Declan Kearney have looked solid so far and they carry a ton of experience in their roles as veteran starters. Some of the surprise arms have become Joe Wills, Korey Shepard and Brendan Dixon. These three combined have zero earned runs in 11.2 innings out of the bullpen. Dixon and Wills have potential to become starters if need be, and it’s always good to have depth at that position. If they’re not thrown into the rotation at some point during the season, they will provide great depth as long relievers. Korey Shepard has looked so strong out of the bullpen and has big potential for being another guy the Cougars can trust at the back end of games.
As far as the offense goes, there are two surprises in this category. One is the strong start to the season Nick Estrella has had with the bat. His .444 batting average is tied for the team high and he also has two of the Cougar six home runs on the season. Estrella could see more at-bats as the DH when he’s not starting on the hill than expected coming into the year, especially if he continues to perform in this manor in the batter’s box. The other surprise has been the play of senior outfielder Eli Ledesma. Ledesma is 5-for-15 on the season and has the potential to have a great final season. His situation is similar to that of Grant Gamble from two seasons past who didn’t have big expectations going into his senior season but shined as one of the best all-around hitters and fielders on the 2018 team. In the meantime, the Cougars will need more production out of its All-American, Osvaldo Tovalin. He’s hitting just .217 in seven games with zero home runs which couldn’t be more surprising for the MLB Draft prospect who came into the season as one of the top 11 candidates to win player of the year in division two.
Time for some awards. Only fitting after the Oscars yesterday.
Best Supporting Actor: Nick Estrella. Not only as a starting pitcher but also as the team’s starting designated hitter has been one of the few to produce offensively so far.
Best Actor: AJ Woodall. Woodall has been the Cougars best pitcher and performer from the first seven games. His 16 K’s are hard to argue with.
Best Picture: Starting Pitching. The Cougars starters have easily been the best part of this team thus far, which in the long run provides hope this team can turn it around with just a little help from the offense.
The Beat @APU 