Can't
get to the game? Don't worry, we've got ya covered.
Morgan finds home in Tiger bullpen
3/29/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
On Thursday afternoon, Fort Hays State University junior right-hander Garrett Morgan relieved Tiger starter Eric Gilliland in the sixth inning. He worked two scoreless innings and coaxed five groundball outs for a save.
Five hours later, he returned to the mound and finished off Fort Hays' tripleheader sweep against Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University. He delivered another shutout inning for his second save of the day. Morgan used his effective slider and sinker for two more groundball outs.
Thursday has been the usual pattern for Morgan, one of the Tigers' best relievers and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association leader in appearances (16). Morgan has pitched in five of Fort Hays' last seven games with three saves and has a stretch of 10 straight scoreless innings, a run that dates back to March 7.
"Garrett, just like a hot hitter or a hot shooter in basketball, he is really throwing the ball well right now," Tiger coach Rick Sabath said.
Overall, Morgan is 1-2 with a 3.26 earned-run average, best on the team, with three saves. In conference play, he has an 0.73 ERA.
"I think that definitely he is one of the top guys out of the pen," junior left-hander Matt Augustine said. "He has proven it."
Morgan, a Colby Community College transfer, signed with Fort Hays in the early signing period. He started the season in the rotation and permitted four runs in two innings in a 12-1 loss to University of North Alabama. After the first two series of the year, the Tiger coaches moved Morgan to the bullpen.
"The pen is kind of where I feel comfortable at," he said.
In his first year at CCC, Morgan threw over the top before he dropped to three-quarters, a delivery that has allowed him to "get a lot of sink" on the ball. Morgan's two pitches, a slider and sinker, have been effective. He strikes out few hitters (eight strikeouts and eight walks) but he continually throws inside, especially to right-handed hitters, and gets plenty of groundballs.
"On the righties, I have been busting them in and they haven't been getting to the ball, so they are just hammering it into the ground," he said.
In the last two series, Morgan has emerged as the Tigers' closer. Junior Mat Atkinson, the usual closer, has permitted seven runs (three earned) in his last four appearances. Morgan saved the first game of his career 10 days ago against Missouri Southern State University, a game he labeled his season's best. He relieved Gilliland in the eighth inning and the bases loaded. Morgan worked out the jam with a double-play ball and worked a perfect ninth for the save.
"He comes out there and throws strikes and is definitely one of the best guys out of the pen that we have," Augustine said. "Having a guy like that is really nice just to shut it down."
Morgan, who appeared in three of the four games of the Missouri Southern series, hasn't had any problems with overuse, even after he missed most of his sophomore year at CCC with an injury. Morgan is only three appearances away from reaching the all-time top 10 list in school history.
"I feel like I can go back-to-back days," he said. "I have been throwing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A lot of people have been asking me how my arm has been just because I did get injured last year. It has been holding up."
Against Southwest Baptist, Morgan was the only Tiger to appear twice in one day. He saved the opening game and then came back to close out the third contest in Fort Hays' rare tripleheader.
"He had a great weekend at Missouri Southern and another good one here (Thursday)," Sabath said. "He has been consistently throwing strikes and that really helps us at the end of games."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Drury | W 17-10 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 17-0 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 3-2 (10 inn.) |
| BB | 02/26 | Mo. Western | W 12-8 |
| BB | 02/26 | Missouri Western | W 11-10 |
| MB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | W 69-60 |
| WB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | L 78-74 |