Scarlet And Gray Series: Wynk Comfortable With Role Reversal

Last year’s closer turns this year’s Friday starter hopeful.  Former Miamisburg Viking Blaine Wynk smiles confidently at the prospect.

It is one of the ironies of college baseball.  Spring training actually comes in the fall.

It’s called fall practice, and it’s where jobs are sometimes won, or cases for winning a job is at least considered…just like spring training in professional baseball.  It’s where you make a case for yourself by making a strong impression on the coaches.

How important is it?  Well, there are no minor leagues in college baseball.  You can’t get sent down.  You either make the case, or in this case, the team, or you seek opportunity elsewhere.

But for former Miamisburg Viking Blaine Wynk he already made an initial strong impression a year ago after transferring from Division II Findlay University…as the Buckeyes’ closer out of the bullpen.  A sophomore then, Wynk actually made the impression on the rest of the Big Ten Conference by compiling a 2-1 record, a 3.38 ERA, and racking up 38 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched.  And with the team’s best strikeout-to-walk ratio (38 to 9) he won the trust of then-coach Bill Mosiello as that late turn-to guy that you trusted to throw strikes and compete for the final three outs to secure a win.

In another irony of baseball, Wynk is using this fall practice – er, spring training – to make the transition from the team’s dependable closer to the Buckeyes’ dependable starter come February.  First-year coach Justin Haire is grooming the hard-throwing junior to be the hopeful Friday night guy in his weekend rotation.

“Blaine started the second half of the summer up in the Cape Cold League,”  said Haire following Thursday’s 5-2 Gray win in the weekend Scarlet and Gray Series.  “I think that really gave him an opportunity to start to stretch himself out and get into that starter’s routine.  He’s still just ramping up here in the fall, and Sunday he’ll throw two innings and then he’ll have a chance to continue to stretch out.  The great thing about is we have time.

“He threw a bunch of innings in the summer, got a taste of the [starter’s] process, so being able to have a full ramp-up for him and others who threw a lot in the summer is going to be important to their arm health and to help them settle into some longer roles.”

Wynk doesn’t get out over his skis over the possibility of starting…he simply smiles confidently at the opportunity.  He’s done it before – at Findlay (with two complete game wins as a freshman, and a 6-3 record).

“Yeah, so when I came over here last year I really didn’t know where I stood, or if I could even hang at this level,”  he said Thursday.  “But the bullpen opportunity last year showed me that I can pitch here, so now being a starter is what you want to do in your junior year.  I’ve done it before [at Findlay], and I did it last summer.  So to say that my future in baseball is as a starter is being realistic.”

At 6’3″ and 195 pounds, he’s changed more than his role.  He wears #10 this year, changing from #52 a year ago.  But numbers aside, he looks every bit the part of a Friday college starter.

When he unleashes the fastball – clocked as high as 97 miles per hour last year – he has the dominant stuff that makes major league scouts not only take notice, but take notes, as well.

He throws the slider as a breaking ball, and like every young arm with high velocity, he’s constantly refining some variation of changing speeds.  Regardless of how hard you throw, the essence of pitching to disrupt a hitter’s timing and balance.

That, and how to pace yourself as a starter over seven innings, maybe even more.  As a closer he could come in pedal-to-metal for 15 to 20 pitches.  Now, endurance becomes as much a necessity as throwing strikes.

“I got a taste of it in the summer,”  he says.  “My first appearance was kind of an eye-opener, but then I figured out a little cruise control – throw other pitches besides the fastball – and some of the other things necessary to be a starter.”

The core of their everyday lineup is going to score runs, so as always, the essence of winning is for your pitching to limit the opposition to at least one run less.  And despite the loss of Landon Beidelchies, Gavin DeVoogth, and Zach Brown, Wynk likes the makeup of what he’s seen from the new cast ready to take their place in 2024.

“Yeah, we have some good arms.  I’ve been Jake Michalak’s throwing partner since last year and when he throws strikes he has the stuff to be as good as anyone in the country.  (Luke) Carrell, Chase Herrell, Ryan Butler, Jaylen (Jones)…if he throws strikes…if we get a little more development [between now and February] we can have that piece that’s necessary to throw strikes and win.”

More strikes…no one is making a case of it, necessarily, but like changing speeds, it’s the essence of pitching.  And even without making a case, those returning are familiar with the stats that showed 261 walks to 421 strikeouts in 2023.

“I think the returning guys understand, and you’re going to have some issues with the freshmen coming in – until they get settled,”  says Wynk.  “But I think it’s been pretty good [throwing strikes] this fall.”

By his own admission, he had his moments of uncertainty last year.  But this fall camp has been a more veteran experience for Blaine Wynk.

“I’m more relaxed, just getting my work in and building up,”  he explains.  “I’m working on things to get better and not just trying to compete.  It’s a little bit different, and I’m comfortable with it.”

He’s already experienced the pressure that a Friday starter goes through.

“There were pressure times out of the bullpen last year, so I don’t think the pressure of starting with bother me.  I would argue that it’s probably harder to close – at Rutgers last year with extra innings and I gave up a lead-off double with no outs…and then got out of it.  You pitch with the realization that if you win you win.  You just do your best.”

He’ll get an opportunity in Sunday’s series finale to show what his fall camp has been all about.  Blaine Wynk will make a final impression, for now, more than good enough to win the confidence of both coaches and team.

He actually looks forward to it.