University of Georgia Athletics
Walsh Doing Whatever He Can For Bulldogs
April 22, 2015 | Baseball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
ATHENS, Ga. -- Jared Walsh is doing what he can and all he can, while he can.
Hampered by a sore back -- a similar condition limited him to just 19 games last season -- the senior left-hander for the Georgia baseball team is giving the Bulldogs all he has left.
"That's exactly how I'm looking at it," Walsh (4-1) said following the Bulldogs' 7-0 win Tuesday against Clemson at Foley Field, which lifted Georgia's record to 21-20 this season. "I'm a senior and I'm trying to enjoy wearing the `G' on my chest as much as possible. When that time may end? Hopefully not anytime soon. Whatever I can do to get into the lineup and help us win, I'm going to do."
Working on a very limited pitch count, Walsh threw two scoreless innings and 26 total pitches. His fastball regularly hit 89 or 90 and he ended both innings by scrambling for short choppers and firing strikes to Zack Bowers at first base.
"I think the thing that I was most pleased with was -- the velocity is going to be what it's going to be -- but I came out and made plays, and showed a little bit of athleticism," he said. "That's what I'd like to continue to do."
Walsh's return this season has been one of Georgia's feel-good stories. His performance Tuesday dropped his ERA to a team-low 2.66, with only 13 earned runs allowed in 44.0 innings pitched. Opponents are batting just .205 against him.
What makes Walsh's health so critical is that he's two players in one, and Georgia's first regular two-way player since Tracy Wildes in 1991. Whether playing first base or as the designated hitter -- he doesn't bat when he pitches -- Walsh has been among the Dogs' most productive hitters. His average of .298 is fourth on the team and he's second with 10 doubles.
Georgia's pitching staff already has been severely disrupted by injuries this season. Projected ace Robert Tyler, a hard-throwing sophomore that made Collegiate Baseball's Freshman All-America team last season, has been out since Feb. 27, with a forearm strain. Junior right-hander David Sosebee, projected as the No. 3 starter, is working his way back after missing about a month with a back injury.
Against Alabama on April 12, Walsh struggled with his pitches and his movement on and off the mound. He was pulled after 2 1/3 innings and given some rest. He was the designated hitter in the first game of last weekend's LSU series, going 0-for-4, and didn't play again until Tuesday.
The break clearly did him some good. More than his solid pitching performance, Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said it was how Walsh fielded his position that looked good.
"At Alabama he actually had two plays very similar to those that he could not make, and we took him out of the game because he couldn't get there," Stricklin said. "That was the encouraging thing, to see him bounce around and make those plays, and look like he's healthy."
Walsh's outing Tuesday was only one part of a very positive performance by the Bulldogs. Four pitchers (Walsh, Mike Mancuso, Ryan Avidano and Jared Cheek) combined for the two-hit shutout, with Mancuso throwing four strong innings. Cheek pitched the ninth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Georgia also did something it hadn't in a while, produced a big inning. Facing Clemson starter Brody Koerner in the bottom of the first, Georgia's first two batters went down quickly. Then the offense got going.
Stephen Wrenn got things started with a slap single to right. A balk moved him to second for Daniel Nichols, who belted an RBI double to left field. An error on a ball hit by Bowers kept the inning alive and put runners on second and third for Skyler Weber, whose two-run single up the middle made it 3-0. Brandon Stephens' single to right scored Weber for a four-run inning.
Georgia hadn't scored more than three in an inning since getting five across against Georgia Tech on March 31. The Dogs hadn't scored more than two runs in their previous four games, all losses.
Tuesday's good pitching and clutch hitting came at a nice time. Georgia will have some confidence as it heads to Auburn (7-11 in SEC play) this weekend for a critical series if the Dogs are to make it to Hoover next month. Despite a 6-11 record in SEC play, Georgia is very much in the hunt for one of the 12 spots in the SEC tournament.
John Frierson is a staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Hall of Fame at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. You can follow him on Twitter: @TheFrierson and @ITAHallofFame.