JUSTIN
ORENDUFF AND CLA MEREDITH SPOTLIGHT5-16-03
With its fourth 40-win season in six years and another CAA regular-season title, VCU's baseball team appears to be on its way to another post-season appearance. Coach Paul Keyes and the Rams (41-11) finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak heading into next week's CAA Tournament, which they won last year en route to their fourth NCAA berth in five seasons. What separates this year's team from other VCU squads that have reached the NCAA's, and has propelled the Rams to the best winning percentage in the program's history is the pitching staff.
In a sport that is overloaded with statistical information, VCU's pitchers have put up some eye-popping numbers. The Rams lead all NCAA Division I schools in earned run average, allowing 2.47 earned runs per nine innings, while opposing batters are hitting just .221 and striking out 9.6 times per nine innings against the Rams. The staff boasts six regular pitchers with ERA's below 2.80, including junior reliever Cla Meredith (right) (Richmond, Va./Meadowbrook) and sophomore starter Justin Orenduff (left) (Chesapeake, Va./George Washington). Both are among the nation's leaders in ERA and strikeouts per nine innings, as Meredith tops all pitchers with an ERA of 0.99. In a sport where aluminum bats are used exclusively, these stats are not only impressive, but are downright unimaginable.
What makes this year's performance even more notable is the fact that the team lost last year's top two starters in Bo Acors and Davy Martin. Before the season pitching coach Mark McQueen felt he had a good staff, but in no way did he think his pitchers would dominate as they have this year. "Coming into the season I thought we had a chance to be pretty good," McQueen said. "Usually you try to shoot for around 4.00 (ERA); with aluminum bats, that's a pretty good number. But to be at two-and-a-half at the end of the season, I just look back and wonder how we did it. It's pretty amazing.
"We had some concern with Matt Prendergast (Herndon, Va./Oakton), who was injured and didn't throw in the summer or fall, but he's having a great spring and has given us that fourth starter. Cla really came on and has given us a right-handed closer. He's been just unbelievable this year. And then to get Justin as a transfer has been like a Christmas present."
Orenduff, who was recruited by VCU out of high school, was a closer for George Washington last year before deciding he wanted a change of scenery. "I was happy with baseball last season," he said, "but I wasn't comfortable with the city, the atmosphere and the facilities [at GW]."
Luckily for the Rams, he liked Richmond and The Diamond and has responded to his switch to starting. In 14 starts, Orenduff is 8-3 with an ERA of 1.65. He has struck out 108 batters while walking just 24 in 82 innings. Opponents are hitting .188 against him. "We thought he'd be a good starter, and we worked on his arm strength so he could pitch more innings," McQueen said. "He has a great fastball and a tremendous slider. Our infielders will come into the dugout after chatting with players on the other team and say that [the opponents] are saying they can't see his slider. They think it's up there, and then it's gone."
As for being the 'ace' of the staff despite joining the team this season, Orenduff takes it in stride and sees himself as a part of a great staff. "I don't think about it. I just want to go out there and give it all I can and pretty much have fun," he said. "Each guy [on the staff] offers a bit of spice, something different, to the mix. We have a special group of guys here. We all want to see each other do well and then step it up the next time out there. Plus we all learn from each other, too."
The Rams figured Orenduff would be a key part of the starting rotation, but Meredith's success this season has to be a nice surprise. Last year Meredith was 4-2 with an ERA of 4.30 with two starts among his 24 appearances. Now pitching exclusively out of the bullpen in support of left-handed closer Brian Marshall (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester), Meredith is 6-0 with six saves, 62 strikeouts and 14 walks in 54 1/3 innings to go with that tiny 0.99 ERA.
McQueen feels that some adjustments made before the season have allowed Meredith, who has a side-arm delivery, to become an effective relief pitcher. "Cla has a really resilient arm and can pitch a lot of innings," McQueen said. "He came in throwing in different arm slots, and the key was to find his natural arm slot, which turned out to be a sidearm, submarine-type delivery. He gets a lot of movement on his pitches; his sinker starts around the waist and ends up below the knees. His speed has increased now into the upper 80's and 90's. I think he's a pitcher scouts will look at next year if he continues to improve."
Meredith appears to have the even-keeled mentality of a relief pitcher, not getting too high or low regardless of the situation. This includes any discussion of his impressive stats this year. "It's pretty exciting to be leading the country in ERA, but I don't let it get to my head," he said. "I don't dwell on stats. It doesn't affect my everyday life or anything, but it's exciting."
He also has embraced his role in the bullpen and enjoys having such a strong group of starters pitching ahead of him. "Our starters get pretty deep into games, so the likelihood of them getting hit hard and being out of the game early isn't good," Meredith said. "I like coming in to a close ball game with the game on the line and I get to decide how it turns out.
"When it's getting late in the game and it looks like I'm going in, I get myself ready and into the right attitude. I don't really think about certain situations or if there are runners on base. I like to just go after whoever's hitting and get some groundballs or strikeouts and get us out of the inning. I love what I do, and I know if we start well I have a pretty good chance to pitch."
Despite having talented pitchers such as Orenduff, Meredith, Prendergast, Brian Marshall, Sean Marshall (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester) and Michael Leishman (Millbrae, Calif./Skyline JC), McQueen is quick to give as much if not more credit to the Rams' defense for the success his staff has enjoyed. "We're fielding .971 [fielding percentage], so I have to mention our defense," he said. "Our defense has just been incredible, in the infield and the outfield, and Jeff Parrish (Poquoson, Va./Poquoson) behind the plate. We're not going to have the type of numbers we've put up without a strong defense."
"It's a great feeling to know that they're behind you, that you can allow hitters to hit the ball," added Orenduff.
Now that the Rams are in the post-season, where double-elimination tournaments require teams to play several games in a short span, McQueen thinks his staff will give the Rams an advantage in their quest for a deep run into the CAA and NCAA tournaments. "I think we could go quite a ways this year, with four good starters and two tremendous relievers to come in and shut it down," he said. "But we don't want to just get to a regional, but win a regional and move on after that."