CCU Baseball Notebook: Chants could get bullpen boost with return of Kitchen

Coastal Carolina managed to get through the NCAA super regionals while using only two relief pitchers somehow, but the Chanticleers could get a nice boost in the bullpen for the College World Series if freshman left-hander Austin Kitchen continues to progress from a triceps injury.

The injury hadn’t been previously mentioned publicly and it seemed after Kitchen allowed nine earned runs in his last 2 1/3 innings that maybe it had become a trust issue for the coaches.

But Chants pitching coach Drew Thomas dismissed that Wednesday and said Kitchen has actually been dealing with the triceps issue for several weeks now.

“It started probably a week before the regional. It started barking on him a little bit and it was really hurting at N.C. State,” Thomas said. “So hopefully that starts to feel better and we can start to move on from that.”

Kitchen boasts a 4-0 record, two saves and a 3.19 earned-run average overall in 42 1/3 innings and was named a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.

He was putting up one of the best single-season earned run averages in program history before those recent struggles, which began when he was pulled out of the bullpen to make his first collegiate start May 20 and gave up four earned runs in two innings. Before that he had a 1.38 ERA and .135 opponents batting average.

Thomas reiterated, though, that there has been no mental block for the rookie since then and it has purely been a physical obstacle he’s working through.

“You look at the conference tournament, heck, he came in and struck out the side that inning and made one bad pitch and the guy doubles. We didn’t field the ball that inning so no, I don’t think that’s it at all,” Thomas said.

In the super regionals at Louisiana State, the Chants had sophomore Bobby Holmes throw 1 1/3 innings and senior closer Mike Morrison close out the final three innings of an eventual 11-8 win on Saturday, before bringing Holmes back for 1 2/3 innings of relief in a 4-3 clinching win Sunday.

Kitchen is the team’s only experienced left-hander and adds another element to the bullpen – along with much-needed depth – if he is indeed able to return to form as the Chants open the College World Series on Sunday night against top-seeded Florida at TD Ameritrade Ballpark.

“The good thing is we got really good news on Kitchen today,” Thomas had said Wednesday after practice. “So he’ll be back and we’ll throw [Thursday]. He’s feeling a lot better. That tricep just started barking on him and wouldn’t let him let it loose, so I think if he comes and throws well [Thursday] he’ll be very usable.

“The good thing about Omaha is you get a day off in between. That’s huge. That’s something we haven’t had the luxury of having [in the postseason].”

Meanwhile, the Chants still hadn’t announced a starting pitcher for that opening game, but they will have their full media session Friday at the ballpark.

More All-American honors

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its All-American team this week with four Chants making the list.

Owings (.379 batting average, 16 home runs, 53 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts) and Young (.345-17-65) were named first-team All-Americans while Remillard (.347-19-69) and Morrison (7-1, 11 saves and a 1.06 ERA) were third-team selections.

The four Chants are among 67 players picked as first, second and third-team selections by the NCBWA and the first Coastal Carolina players to make that All-American list since Tommy La Stella was a second-teamer in 2011. It’s also the first time the program has had four players receive that particular honor.

Morrison was previously named a first-team All-American by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, while Owings and Beckwith were second-teamers on that list.

College World Series tickets

As of Thursday evening, Coastal Carolina was still taking orders for College World Series tickets, but more than 600 of the school’s allotment of 700 tickets had been claimed, according to assistant athletic director for ticket sales and revenue Michael Jacobs.

Ryan Young: 843-626-0318, @RyanYoungTSN

This story was originally published June 16, 2016 at 6:58 PM with the headline "CCU Baseball Notebook: Chants could get bullpen boost with return of Kitchen."