Power of the pen

May 27, 2017 wasn’t the turning point, but it showcased exactly what UNCW baseball needed.

A loss to Delaware in the second round of the CAA Tournament the previous day meant the Seahawks would have to fight their way back through the loser’s bracket if they were going to earn the league’s NCAA Regional automatic bid.

The team shellacked Northeastern 10-1 in the early afternoon, setting up a survival matchup with the Blue Hens once again. Before the first inning was over, UNCW was down 9-1. After four games in three days, the bullpen depth was depleted and it showed.

“Last year, we ended up having to throw bullpen guys (in the championship game),” senior Austin Warren recalls on the eve of this season's CAA Tournament, set for Harrisonburg, Va. “This year, I think we’ll have enough starters and we definitely have enough arms out of the bullpen to stay hot and just keep us rolling.”

The recruiting focus in the offseason centered on building pitching depth that could withstand the rigors of a tournament scenario.

The Seahawks landed several standout freshmen and key junior college transfers while working to develop current talent . The result has been a complete turnaround from recent years. That depth will be counted on this week.

“In the first couple years, we had three or four guys that we really threw (out of the bullpen). Now, we have seven or eight guys that we throw a lot,” senior Austin Easter said. “That allows us to just roll multiple guys out there and have faith that they’re going to get the job done.”

Last year, UNCW had no players make 10-plus appearances and finished with an ERA under 3.00. In fact, only one player, Josh Roberson, had a sub-3.00 ERA, but injuries limited him to just five appearances.

This year, seven players have made 10 or more appearances and hold ERAs under 3.00. As a staff, UNCW’s collective ERA is 3.34. It’s the first time the team ERA has been under 4.00 since 2013 (3.95) and the lowest it’s been since 2001 (3.20).

Every day is a challenge as players compete for time on the hill. Everyone wants to showcase what they can do, but there’s only so many innings.

“I just think it’s the level of competitiveness that we have as a group. Everybody knows we’re going to get our jobs done, so that just pushes us each and every day, more and more to be able to go out there and improve,” sophomore Henry Ryan said.

While the depth is there, the success is a mix of talent being in place and a renew sense of confidence. That’s something that was missing at times last year.

“Once guys come in out the bullpen, if we’re up, more times than not, the game is over. If you get it to the boys in the fifth or whatever, the game is over. That’s just how we look at it,” junior Clark Cota said.

-- Reporter Alex Riley can be reached at 910-343-2034 or Alex.Riley@StarNewsOnline.com.

CAA Tournament

When: Wednesday-Saturday

Where: Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park, Harrisonburg, Va.

Tickets: Visit CAASports.com for individual and session ticket prices.

Go online: Check out Facebook.com/StarNewsUNCW at 10 a.m. on Wednesday for a preview of UNCW's first round matchup. Also, follow @AlexRileySN on Twitter for updates.

Schedule

Wednesday

Game 1: No. 5 Delaware vs. No. 4 UNCW, 11a.m.

Game 2: No. 6 Hofstra vs. No. 3 Charleston, 3 p.m.

Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 7 p.m.

Thursday

Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. No. 1 Northeastern, 11 a.m.

Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. No. 2 Elon, 3 p.m.

Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4/5 (lower seed), 7 p.m.

Friday

Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 11 a.m.

Game 8: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 4/5 (higher seed), 3 p.m.

Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 1 p.m.

Game 11: If necessary