Mounds of potential

One week ago, Oregon State senior pitcher Matt Boyd threw a four-hit shutout against Indiana and the Beavers advanced to the semifinals of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Washington State ace Joe Pistorese watched the performance on TV from his home in Kalispell, wishing he were on that mound instead of his conference rival.

“Seeing teams like Oregon State and UCLA who are there now, who we play three times a year, it definitely motivates me,” Pistorese said. “I know that all of my teammates are watching the College World Series and they’re kicking themselves just as much as I am, so we’ll be ready for next year.”

Washington State finished the season 10th out of 11 teams in the Pac-12 with a 9-21 conference record. The Cougars were 23-32 overall and will be likely be considered long shots to reach the postseason next year, but Pistorese isn’t a stranger to overcoming long odds.

As a high schooler in Montana, one of three states that don’t have high school baseball, Pistorese drew the attention of Division I college coaches and professional scouts. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 44th round of the 2011 MLB draft but chose to attend college rather than sign a professional contract.

He quickly became the ace of Washington State’s pitching staff and has stood toe-to-toe with Pac-12 fireballers like Stanford’s Mark Appel, the No. 1 pick in this year’s MLB draft, despite having a fastball that rarely reaches 90 mph.

A lanky, 6-foot-2 left-hander with a four-pitch mix, Pistorese led Washington State with a 2.44 ERA as a freshman. After spending the summer playing for the Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, Pistorese was one of the Cougars’ few bright spots this spring, posting a 2.78 ERA in 100 1-3 innings with 61 strikeouts and 26 walks.

He said his fastball typically sits between 87 and 89 miles per hour, and despite lacking premium velocity, he considers it his best pitch.

“It’s the best pitch in baseball,” he said.

“I still think you can fool batters if you’re throwing fastballs and hitting your spots. I truly believe that, regardless of how hard you throw. I kind of prove that because I’m not really a high-caliber pitcher. I don’t throw 98 like Appel, but I was still able to get outs and compete. Maybe it wasn’t coming in strikeouts a lot, but I’m getting groundballs, I’m getting pop flies, and that’s purely based on location and approach.”

Deception is also a part of Pistorese’s success.

“Guys don’t get good swings off him because he’s got a little bit of a funky delivery,” Washington State coach Donnie Marbut said.

Pistorese also throws a curveball and change-up and is working on a slider. While Marbut doesn’t grade any of those pitches as “plus,” Pistorese’s ability is greater than the sum of his parts. Marbut says Pistorese is more competitive than he is good, and that’s his best attribute.

“He’s as competitive as they come,” Marbut said. “I’ve been coaching college baseball for 15 years, and he’s as competitive as any pitcher I’ve been around.

“He works fast and he’s in your face. He fears absolutely nothing.”

Pistorese’s roommate, outfielder Ben Roberts of Missoula, can relate.

“He hates losing,” Roberts said. “I lived with the guy last year, so even when we’re playing video games, out messing around shooting hoops or anything, he wants to win no matter what we’re doing.”

Despite his solid numbers, Pistorese finished with a 5-5 record. He went 3-4 with three no decisions in Pac-12 conference games and took the loss in complete games against Stanford and California, two of the best games he pitched all season.

“It was a learning experience, definitely,” Pistorese said. “Statistically, we had a horrible season. But, it was a good season for us because we had to go through so much as a team. When you’re not winning games, you’ve got to look to your teammates and you’ve got to bring the team together.”

Pistorese’s season got off to a rough start. On a cold February Saturday in Cullowhee, N.C., Pistorese allowed seven runs, all unearned, and was pulled in the fourth inning of a 15-10 loss to Western Carolina.

“It was 12-degree weather in Western Carolina that day,” he said. “Twenty mile an hour winds, everybody was struggling. Our catcher had to get heat pads put on his legs. It was a rough atmosphere to be in. Western Carolina’s a good team and we made a couple errors in that game.

“I wanted to make sure that didn’t dictate my season. In my next start I wanted to come out hot and make sure that one start wasn’t going to bleed into other starts that I was going to have.”

Seven days later, Pistorese hurled eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over Eastern Michigan to get his season on track.

In Pac-12 play, he picked up wins against Arizona State, Southern California and defending College World Series champion Arizona. He tallied a season-high 11 strikeouts in a 4-3 loss to California and gave up just two earned runs in a complete-game 3-0 loss to Stanford and Appel.

“If I had to pick a highlight for myself, even though it came in a loss, Friday night against Appel was a nine-inning game and it was just a battle between me and him the whole time,” Pistorese said. “Although we lost, it was definitely a good game for me because it showed some stamina. It was the first game I’ve gone nine (innings).”

Pistorese originally planned to spend the summer playing in the Cape Cod League, the country’s most prestigious wood-bat summer college league, but after a discussion with Marbut, he decided he’s better off staying in Pullman, Wash., concentrating on muscle-building and allowing his arm to rest after a heavy workload this spring.

“I’m going to stay back, put some weight on, hopefully get a little more (velocity) and make it easier to get some strikeouts, because in the beginning of games, in the first two innings when I can throw 90, it’s a lot easier to get outs than in the later part of the game when I’m throwing 86,” Pistorese said. “That’s what my focus is for this summer.”

Marbut said a summer of strength training could improve the quality of Pistorese’s off-speed pitches as well as his fastball, which would help him make the leap from a good Pac-12 pitcher to an elite pitcher, while also improving his draft stock.

“I believe when his three pitches turn to plus and you combine that with his competitiveness and his belief and his athleticism, then you’ve got one of the best pitchers in the country,” Marbut said. “He’s a good athlete and he’s made big strides. He’s gotten bigger, he’s gotten stronger, he’s become a better student. Joe in the last two years that I’ve known him has become better at everything he does.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he develops a good change-up or even a cutter or a slider. The game is easy for him. When everything matches the competitiveness, he’s going to be really, really good.”

One thing that often trips up college players in their junior years is a phenomenon known as “draftitis,” when players eligible for the MLB draft feel pressure to impress scouts and their performance slips. Florida ace Jonathan Crawford’s ERA rose from 3.13 as a sophomore in 2012 to 3.84 this season while his strikeout rate fell and his walk rate rose. Gonzaga’s Marco Gonzales saw his ERA rise from 1.55 as a sophomore to 2.80 this year. Both pitchers were still first round picks, but both Florida and Gonzaga failed to live up to their preseason expectations.

Marbut is confident Pistorese won’t suffer a similar fate.

“Joe wants to get drafted like everybody,” Marbut said. “He’s going to want that, but he won’t get draftitis because he wants to win. Guys that want to win, they’re worried less about that draft status, so it will take care of itself.”

For Pistorese, getting drafted again would be a dream come true, but he’s determined not to let it affect his performance.

“If I’m going out and I’m following my coach’s program and I’m doing what he asks of me, doing what the team asks of me, then the numbers are going to come on their own and I’m going to draw attention from scouts like that,” he said. “I’m not going to change anything based on hoping that someone will see me or something will happen. I’m just going to go out and play some Coug baseball and hopefully that will fall on its own.”