Really nice win
I wish I could have been up there - damn work thing - again
I think the issue with Santos is in his head, but felt this would have been a good time to let him throw to a few batters to see where he is at.
I really hate to have this attitude but I do. He's a Senior, if he hasn't figured it out yet, he isn't going to. I would rather give those innings and experience to a guy who is an underclassmen such as Polonia which is what Penders did and think that is a good thing.
Avery Santos also had Tommy John surgery, and some players come back from that quicker and more effectively than others. It is clear that at the beginning of the season that he was considered to be someone with some talent, so I wouldn't totally give up on him. Still, as a Senior, time is growing short for Santos to show something, and that window may have indeed passed. Something else that doesn't help Santos in getting game time is that there are a number of other pitchers with talent on the staff who could be emerging.
As for Polonia, I'm doubtful that he is going play a big role this season as he is another guy who is coming back from arm surgery. Having missed two seasons, it is obvious from the way that he is being used that the coaching staff is being quite careful with him. I expect that Polonia will still get an inning here or there for the rest of this season, but nothing too strenuous. From the way the coaching staff has used Polonia, I'm inclined to think that they are just trying to get him ready for the summer collegiate season, where he will have the time and hopefully get the innings to really bring his arm along. The real target for Polonia might be to have him ready to go full bore next season, when Jake Wallace and CJ Dandeneau will be gone and hopefully pitching in the pros. The back end of the bullpen just might be Caleb Wurster, Karl Johnson (another talented young pitcher), and Polonia. Obviously we'll have to see on that one.
I find it interesting that Joe Simeone got the start against Central, as I figured that Kenny Haus would get the start after Colby Dunlop had an extended relief outing on Sunday against Sam Houston State. I'm not sure just what is going on with Haus. We'll just have to see if Simeone also gets a midweek start against Rhode Island on May 14, as it is possible that he is being prepared as a possible starter in the AAC tournament.
Which brings us to Angus Mayock, who has had a couple of nice outings recently. He just might be the pitcher to really look out for at this point. From listening to the Coach Penders postgame interviews after the Central game, it really sounds like the redshirt freshman might be about to make a great leap forward. Penders was definitely hinting that with the injury to Chase Gardner, Mayock could very possibly be seeing more pitching time and in more important situations. It would not be the first time a pitcher emerged this late in the season, as I recall Carson Cross started getting a lot more important pitching appearances starting around May of his redshirt freshman year as well.
