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LAST ONES OUT, page 15
Behind Grubbs and Culkin is a crop of seven freshman pitchers, who Grubbs said he isn’t worried about, despite their youth. Normally the fall is an adjustment for younger pitchers, but not with this bunch, Grubbs said — “it is a good sign for the season,” he said.
“The guys have it; they aren't scared,” Culkin added. “They want to play just as much as we do.”
The seven rookies picking up their preseason reps is what the Diamond Dukes need for the higher competition in the Sun Belt.
Grubbs and Culkin have continued finding ways to stay steady during their time on the mound. That’s where Culkin steps up the most, Grubbs said.
“If we are struggling and things are getting out of hand, I think that Sean does a great job of coming in to calm everything down, does his things and then it's back to normal,” Grubbs said.
The main strongsuit for a pitcher is focus and control — staying calm in the middle of the tenuous moments in a game. And while Grubbs and Culkin are often sent in during the final throws, Culkin said he always tries to keep his pace of play.
“I try not to let the pace of the game control me, as a pitcher you do control the pace of the game. We both do a great job with that,” Culkin said. Ikenberry expects to use Grubbs and Culkin in the bullpen a lot this season, with eager for multiple wins.
“These guys are really quality back-end-of-thebullpen type guys for us,” Ikenberry said.
Madison Hricik contributed to this story.
CONTACT Matthew Taddei at taddeimj@dukes.jmu. edu. For more baseball coverage, follow the desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.
