Tennessee Tech is going with junior right-hander Marcus Evey against Ole Miss today. He's been the Eagles' No. 2 starter all season. He has a 4.04 ERA and .241 batting average against with 81 strikeouts and 26 walks in 71.1 innings -- pretty good numbers for the hitter-happy OVC.
He touched 96 MPH out of the pen earlier in his career, but he's going to be in the low 90s as a starter. He's a good athlete and very fundamentally sound. He is able to max out ability with a repeatable motion. There's not tremendous run on it, but it's solid for this level. The lack of natural movement is probably why he's at TT in the first place. Not flat, but not dancing at a high SEC level.
He complements it with a mid 70s 12-to-6 curve ball that is inconsistent. A times it's pretty loopy and soft and more of a get-over pitch, but it's also tightened up in some of his starts which makes it a good second offering. It's important for Ole Miss to stay off its front foot against the spinner.
There's also a slider or cutter that hovers around 80 MPH. He shows it, and you have to deal with it, but it rarely changes plane, so it's not some huge swing-and-miss pitch that can be a wipeout.
I think fastball command -- duh -- and the tightness of the curveball will dictate his outing today. If it's a cement mixer then he's in deep trouble, but if it's tight with some dive, then Ole Miss has to adjust and be aware of it, meaning he can have some success today.
There's nothing overly special about him, but he doesn't walk many, and he gives you just enough offspeed ability to keep you honest. This one is about Ole Miss. If they help him, then it could be a frustrating set of innings. But if they handle the curve ball and make him elevate and move the fastball across the plate, then they will get hittable pitches. Then it's a matter of not missing them.
He touched 96 MPH out of the pen earlier in his career, but he's going to be in the low 90s as a starter. He's a good athlete and very fundamentally sound. He is able to max out ability with a repeatable motion. There's not tremendous run on it, but it's solid for this level. The lack of natural movement is probably why he's at TT in the first place. Not flat, but not dancing at a high SEC level.
He complements it with a mid 70s 12-to-6 curve ball that is inconsistent. A times it's pretty loopy and soft and more of a get-over pitch, but it's also tightened up in some of his starts which makes it a good second offering. It's important for Ole Miss to stay off its front foot against the spinner.
There's also a slider or cutter that hovers around 80 MPH. He shows it, and you have to deal with it, but it rarely changes plane, so it's not some huge swing-and-miss pitch that can be a wipeout.
I think fastball command -- duh -- and the tightness of the curveball will dictate his outing today. If it's a cement mixer then he's in deep trouble, but if it's tight with some dive, then Ole Miss has to adjust and be aware of it, meaning he can have some success today.
There's nothing overly special about him, but he doesn't walk many, and he gives you just enough offspeed ability to keep you honest. This one is about Ole Miss. If they help him, then it could be a frustrating set of innings. But if they handle the curve ball and make him elevate and move the fastball across the plate, then they will get hittable pitches. Then it's a matter of not missing them.
