Duke baseball pitcher Fran Oschell went from struggling to starring for Blue Devils
CONWAY, S.C. – When asked to compare his freshman season to his sophomore year, Duke baseball pitcher Fran Oschell III couldn’t help but chuckle.
“They’re polar opposites, if I’m being completely honest,” Oschell said with a laugh after the Blue Devils’ 2-1 win Saturday against Rider in the NCAA Tournament’s Conway Regional.
“It’s a rewarding feeling. I’ve got a lot of great people in my corner, especially these two guys (teammate Damon Lux and coach Chris Pollard) right here, and a lot of hard work put into it. … It feels a lot better than last fall.”
Oschell had a 10.29 ERA in seven appearances out of the bullpen as a freshman. Through 18 appearances this season, Oschell has a sub-1.00 ERA with three runs allowed in 35⅔ innings.
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“Fran Oschell came in last year as a freshman and went through some ups and downs in the fall,” Pollard said.
“It’s so cool to see how far he’s come in this 15 months since the fall of his freshman year. To go from a guy we weren’t sure was a fit, to playing a small role last year, to now being the best relievers in the ACC – if not the country.”
Showing off his fastball – which was clocked at 96 mph on Saturday – Oschell improved his record to 5-0 with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts against the Broncs (36-20) to put Duke (37-21) on the doorstep of a berth in the super regional round.
Before Pollard discussed the Blue Devils’ second victory at Coastal Carolina’s Springs Brooks Stadium, he dished out some thoughts on Oschell’s development.
“It’s unreal. This is what makes the job so fun: to see kids grow into men,” Pollard said. “That’s what you see. You see a guy that came in that was getting a feel for who he was and now he’s grown into a lot of toughness and a lot of resilience.”
Pollard went on to acknowledge the effort of the four other pitchers who limited Rider and the work pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick has put in throughout the season.
Now, the Blue Devils are a victory away from advancing. They'll play for a regional championship at 6 p.m. Sunday.
“It’ll be all hands on deck,” Pollard said. “We’ll need guys to step up and I think guys are up to that challenge.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke baseball pitcher Fran Oschell brings heat in NCAA Tournament
