Chase Allen stands at a towering six feet and six inches tall. And on the elevated mound, he casts shadows over the opposing batters. But his immense presence just throws the hitters of his scent — the senior right-hander pitches to contact.
The Michigan baseball team has been searching for consistency on the mound all year. With few arms that coach Tracy Smith trusts to put the team in a position to win, the search for an additional consistent pitcher has often led them to call Allen’s number.
Allen, despite his veteran presence on an otherwise youthful pitching staff, struggled to find his footing early in the year. By late March, his ERA ballooned to 9.89 and he found himself pitching in midweek games instead of on the weekends. But recently, Allen has displayed the consistency that Smith wants to see out of him. And his start Saturday against Long Beach State was a perfect example.
“We’re gonna have to have some guys step up down the stretch,” Smith said. “Particularly as we went into this weekend, we’re trying to rest some guys. Chase really did a good job for his team today.”
Coming off of his previous solid outing against Toledo, Allen looked to carry the momentum into his start on Saturday. And in five-and-two-thirds innings, Allen gave up just two earned runs, putting together back-to-back consistent outings.
But early on, he couldn’t find the zone. He walked the first batter he faced and threw two wild pitches, allowing one run to come home. It appeared as though Allen simply didn’t have his stuff working.
Allen settled in after his shaky first, but he didn’t make it easy on himself, consistently falling behind in counts. Despite this extra labor, though, he kept the Dirtbags’ offense at bay. Allen’s pitch count after his shaky start was elevated, but he kept collecting outs.
“He was getting deep into some counts,” Smith said. “But it’s funny, it just seems like he always seems to get to three balls and then he dials in and starts to throw strikes.”
As the season begins to converge on postseason play, Michigan is still searching for that next pitcher to step up. And Allen’s last two performances have put him in the conversation to get more high-leverage nods, but he has to continue to throw strikes consistently.
When the Wolverines’ pitching implodes, it’s almost always because they start walking batters. Last weekend against Ohio State, Michigan pitchers walked 12 Buckeye batters and plunked three more en route to getting demolished 16-1. So, anyone who can consistently throw strikes will be a welcome addition to the Wolverines main pitching core, which Allen finds himself on the bubble of.
Throwing strikes invites contact, though, and letting the offense put the ball in play is dangerous. But the defense behind Allen has been solid all year, earning his trust.
“I have seven guys behind me and either one of our two catchers,” Allen said. “So to me, it makes it very easy for our pitching staff to go out there and perform.”
While the intimidating presence of Allen on the mound may not be the greatest indicator of his pitching style, pitching to contact instead of for strikeouts didn’t make him any less effective. And just to prove that he had it in him, Allen struck out the last batter he faced before Smith pulled him, collecting his first and only punch out of the game.
But that’s not how he rolls, and his pitching-to-contact style put Michigan in a position to win the ball game.