Starting pitching shines during Walnut Creek's historic 10-game win streak

Imagine looking at a pitcher's stats. For this player, they read 1.80 ERA, 1.17 WHIP with a 9.8 strikeouts per nine, 6.7 hits per nine and 3.9 walks per nine. Some pretty impressive work.

Who is this player? 

Well, it's actually 10 players. It's the combined stats of Walnut Creek's starting pitchers during their record-shattering win streak, which, after taking down Sonoma 10-4 Saturday, is now at 10 wins in a row.

On an impressive win streak, now 14-4 in CCL play and second in the CCL North, Crawdads coach Brant Cummings emphasized how important the starting pitching has been during the run.

"It's really important," Cummings said. "It sets the tone early in the game, and it gives us a chance if we are to score runs to limit their opportunity to come back … Limiting the opportunities early in the game is very, very big."

On the bump to start the game for the Crawdads on Saturday was sophomore Devin James. Finishing his day throwing 3.2 innings of four-hit, one-run baseball while striking out five, James added on to an impressive stat during the run.

On all but two instances during the win streak, starting pitchers have allowed one or less runs. Even in the other two, the starters gave up just two.

After hearing the stat, James was impressed, and decided to pass the credit to those around him.

"I'm really grateful that I get to be one of the starters on this team, because this team has so many talented arms," James said. "I didn't know that nobody's getting on more than two runs, that's just really props to everybody, there's our defense as well."

The great run of form started on June 16, a game started by sophomore Kalani Jauregui in which he pitched three innings of scoreless baseball allowing just five baserunners. 

Starters stayed scoreless in the next two days, with Alessandro Martinez and Dylan Scott being the two to follow. In those games, Martinez went 3 innings striking out five while Scott pitched 4.1 innings where he struck out six.

Senior Jeremy Jones pitched next, allowing the first run by a starter in the stretch, but his stat line of four innings pitched and five batters struck out continued the dominant run.

Devin James and Hudson Aber followed Jones, pitching on Saturday and Sunday. While James gave up a run, he pitched three innings, striking out three batters in an impressive win at Alameda before Aber fired off four scoreless innings and struck out four.

As the new week began, Jauregui returned to the bump with four innings allowing two runs and striking out two. Sophomore Weston Thornbury put up a similar stat line the next day, pitching three innings of two-run ball striking out one.

Jones and James followed as Friday and Saturday starters again, with Jones earning player of the game honors for throwing three innings of scoreless play while striking out five.

A big theme of the great run by the pitching has been commanding the strike zone. Jones, who has thrown seven innings and struck out 10 batters during the run, highlighted what the staff has been doing well in the win streak.

"The biggest thing is just keep throwing strikes," Jones said. "We've had really good strike and walk ratios, strike percentage in general, and first pitch strikes as a unit. Keep capitalizing on that. Put hitters in uncomfortable situations, and make them guess and be defensive on their swings." 

Now, the Crawdads are third in the league in team ERA, fifth in strikeouts and third in WHIP. 

A Sunday matchup with San Francisco set for 4:00 p.m. at home after the stretch of road games, the Crawdads have a chance to finish two weeks in a row unbeaten. 

Putting the run of form in perspective, Cummings has nothing but praise for the way the team is playing.

"I don't think I've ever been part of anything like that," Cummings said. "I certainly haven't with this team, and I look back at three other teams I've coached. I don't think we've ever won 10 straight. It's a heck of an accomplishment. It's very difficult to do, so I'm happy for these young people."