There was another Hawkeye hero before Iowa went crazy on Michigan with a six-run fifth inning that featured a Brayden Frazier grand slam.
Jack Whitlock entered into a high-stress situation in Iowa’s Big Ten Baseball Tournament opener in the fifth inning with the score all even at one apiece, nobody out and two Wolverines aboard.
After Hawkeye starter Marcus Morgan issued back-to-back walks to Mitch Voit and Gabe Sotres, Whitlock stepped in to relieve Morgan and issued a free pass of his own to Cody Jefferis.
Fear not, Whitlock calmly and promptly struck out Ted Burton, Jonathan Kim and Jimmy Obertop swinging in succession to keep the score deadlocked at 1-1. Then, of course, Iowa erupted for six in the fifth and the Hawkeyes were off and running into the winner’s bracket.
It did feel like Whitlock’s ability to wiggle Iowa out of the top of the fifth jam set the stage for the Hawkeye landslide that ensued. It led to a 13-3 run-rule victory over Michigan that had Iowa fans jumping for joy.
Whitlock joined the HawkFanatic Podcast on KCJJ Radio with hosts Pat Harty and Tom Suter.
Whitlock said he had a strong inkling that he would get the middle relief call if the situation presented itself.
“Well, coach Heller talked to me before the game and he told me that whatever situation it was, they were likely going to go to me. And they told Jared that, they were 90 percent going to go to me and that Jared there was a slight chance that maybe there was a matchup or something Jared would go in. So, I kind of knew and so I was prepared. Going into the fourth I threw a little bit and Marcus got out of the jam. And then, the fifth came around, I was prepared mentally like, be ready to go if something went down. So, yeah, they had me prepared and ready to go in there,” Whitlock said.
Sure enough, the situation presented itself and it was go time for Whitlock. A dicey situation immediately got just a little more complicated when he walked the first batter that he faced. What was Whitlock saying to himself after issuing said walk?
“Well, I was trying to tell myself to slow it down a little bit. Slow the heart rate down. I mean, when you go in there in a situation like that, you know, big crowd, it’s just a lot of tense (energy). In a big game, you know, it’s like your heart rate gets up. And I went in there and I thought the first batter, I didn’t pitch bad. He worked the count, went late in count 3-2. Walked him and I was okay with that. Like, I felt more comfortable out of the windup than the stretch in that moment, so it worked out and I just had to tell myself to just take slow breaths and just go one pitch at a time and not worry about what just happened,” Whitlock said.
Of course, the rest is history. Whitlock delivered and the Hawkeye bats came alive. Now, Iowa gears up for its winner’s bracket contest against second-seeded Indiana on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
The full interview with Whitlock is terrific and is cued up below. Here’s some other highlights from his conversation with the HawkFanatic crew below on Whitlock’s path to Iowa and more.
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Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I redshirted my freshman year at Eastern Kentucky and then I went to Hutchinson Community College and played one year there. Then, I still was uncommitted and then that summer after the season, I wasn’t going back to my junior college. My junior college coach was helping me out with schools and stuff. I was kind of underrecruited.
“I didn’t have any Power 5 schools talking to me or anything. A lot of mid-majors. I wasn’t committed still and it was like mid-July and Marty—obviously Dylan Nedved, last year’s team—he played at Hutchinson, at my junior college. Marty knew my coach really well and set up a connection. And then Robin Lund watched video on me and it kind of just worked out. Once Iowa offered, there wasn’t a question.”
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Oh, he’s been a real big help. I mean, it was kind of like…we had a little bit of a period there where we had them both and it was like, they’re two big, smart, both know the game so well. Sean came from the Mariners. He takes a lot of what they do there. The best part was, what Robin was doing, Sean does the same thing.
“He just picked up and he’s been really helpful for a lot of guys. I know he has helped me with pitch shape, with my change up and stuff and fastball velocity, trying to get it up. He’s really good at pitch-calling, too. I just think him and Robin, if they were both here at the same time, I think the pitching staff, we’d probably break all the records. He has really helped all of us.”
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Coming in, I had a big curveball. I had a big curveball and obviously my fastball, my change up. This fall, they kind of scratched the curveball and they helped me develop a sweeping slider. That has been my bread and butter. I threw it 31 times yesterday. It’s something they’ve developed with me.
“I’ve just always had, I haven’t always been the guy that throws the hardest, but I have been a guy that’s been able to command pitches well. I just command it well and then my change up has kind of developed into a better change up than it was. That’s what me and Sean have worked on a little bit. Coming here is what made my pitches better. In pitch design, bullpens, they’re the one working with Sean and Robin, they’re the one that developed the pitches I have now.”
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Yeah, I think coach Heller, he always hits it on the head with just like, the hitters doing their one-ninth and the pitchers throwing one pitch at a time. It’s always that current moment. You can’t look ahead, you can’t look in the past what’s happened, and I think that just helps build the culture as a team. Our captains do a great job of building the culture. It’s the reason why when I showed up, I knew that this is not a bad culture team, it’s not going to be fun and games. It’s you come in, get your work done. We’re trying to get better every day, because we want to be somewhere great and I could see it from day one
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Oh yeah, I felt, we all felt really good after that inning. Our hitters have been doing it all year. I mean, early on in the game, they were hitting hard line drives. They were all over him and it just felt like it had to happen, it was going to break loose soon. Our guys, the hitters, have been just really good lately. And, it was all with two outs. They just don’t give up, they don’t let anything affect them and it really helped us in the long run and gave us a good cushion as a bullpen.”
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I would say it is (an adjustment). It’s different because you don’t have the weekly long routine as a starter. So, as a starter, you know which day you’re going to throw. You can plan out your week, plan out your throwing and everything. As a reliever, you kind of just every game, you have the same routine. You do your pregame routine, pregame throwing, same thing and you get ready to go for that game. You never know whose name is going to be called, but I like it. You’re always locked into the game, you’re always ready to go every single game, so it’s definitely different, but I like it.”
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Oh, it feels good. I mean, we all had to get up at around 6:30 yesterday and get to the early game, so having today to just rest and relax, sleep in, just fuel up and get ready, it’s really nice to have a day off. Definitely for like Cade Moss, our catcher, a guy like him, help his legs out and the bullpen. Arms rested, it’s really good.”
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I mean, it’s going to take everybody. I think if we all be who we are capable of being and just don’t try to do too much, don’t try to do too little, just be who we are, I think we’ll be just fine. They got a good guy on the mound. He’s a big righty. He pitched very well versus us, he’s really good and he’s going to be tough, but I know as we saw yesterday, they had a good guy going and Marty always has a good plan for the hitters and I think we’re going to be in a good spot. The bullpen is well rested. I think we’re in a good spot. If everyone just does their part, we’ll be fine.”
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