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Finish out STRONG
Grubbs, Culkin headline as closers in JMU baseball’s 2023 bullpen depth
By MATTHEW TADDEI contributing writer
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Three more outs. First a double, then a strikeout.
Two more outs. Pop out.
One more out, it’s a wild pitch. But it ends with a strikeout. That’s game. Redshirt senior pitcher Lliam Grubbs sighs and shrugs on the mound. He came into the game in the top of the ninth inning with one job to do — close out the game at George Mason on April 20.
And he did it.
Grubbs is one of many closers in the JMU baseball bullpen this season after making the decision to return for one final year. The right-handed pitcher finished last season 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA through 18.1 innings pitched, highlighted by three saves — and JMU head coach Marlin Ikenberry said he’s an advantage for the team when he takes the mound late in the game.
“He has been really good for us,” Ikenberry said. “This year you see a little bit differently into his hunger and his ability to know what his role is.”
Pitchers are essentially the glue of baseball. They’re the ones who research on which pitch they should throw to each opponent. A team’s defense starts on the mound, and it’s the pitcher’s job to lead the defense and have as few hits or walks as possible.
But as the game goes by, there’s a special type of pitcher responsible for making sure his team wins the game: the closer.
Grubbs and redshirt junior pitcher Sean Culkin shoulder that task for the Dukes.
“To have two guys in the program for that many years and have had really good numbers in their careers is awesome to have in the back of the bullpen,” Ikenberry said.
Culkin, who has appeared in 26 games out of the bullpen and in 2022 tied for 10th in single-season appearances, has built himself a resume at JMU. Last season, he threw 31.1 innings and recorded 14 strikeouts, finishing with a 4.96 ERA.
He said he works around the mantra, “We lead by what we do and not necessarily what we say.”
Culkin also spent the summer with the Harrisonburg Turks of the Valley Baseball League (VBL), playing in 14 games with three saves and a 3.51 ERA. He was one of two JMU pitchers to play more than 30 innings for the Turks, the other being Evan Smith, who pitched 32.1 innings.
“Culkin’s leadership off the field is his biggest asset; he is going to be a really good pitcher for us this year,” Ikenberry said. “He had a really good summer, he has gotten stronger and stuff has gotten better for him.”
Going into JMU’s first year in the Sun Belt Conference, Culkin said he thinks the Dukes have some of the best talent they’ve “seen in a while.” The step up in competition will be a change of pace, though, Culkin said, and there won’t be any easy wins.
His closer-mate, Grubbs, has a new and “completely different” mindset coming into this season, too.
“We are super focused for this year,” Grubbs said. “We are ready to come out there and win.”
Grubbs made 17 appearances out of the bullpen last season and was the eighth player in program history to earn at least 10 saves. He struck out 15 batters last season over 18.1 innings, earning a 4.91 ERA. To top it off, he was added to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List.
