‘Iron sharpens iron’: UIS rotation remains strong ahead of NCAA Division II baseball tournament
It might be a different rotation from last year, but the standard remains undiminished.
Both Chad Saner and Adam Brouwer missed the 2022 season with elbow injuries while Ryan Carmack is a graduate transfer from fellow Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Southwest Baptist University.
Each has more than carried their own weight on the University of Illinois Springfield baseball team.
Saner and Carmack raked in all-GLVC first team honors while Brouwer garnered the league’s Freshman of the Year award.
Relief pitcher Ian Delleman was another all-conference first teamer, along with outfielder Asher Bradd. First baseman TJ Yakimisky was named to the second team with Brouwer.
They ultimately helped vault the Prairie Stars (35-13 overall) to their fifth consecutive NCAA Division II tournament appearance. They will additionally host their regional as the No. 2 seed at the UIS Baseball Field this week.
They begin the double-elimination bracket against No. 7 Indianapolis (34-19) on Thursday at 11 a.m. No. 3 Maryville (34-18) draws No. 6 Ashland (33-19) in the other regional matchup.
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The Stars previously made their first ever trip to the NCAA finals in Cary, North Carolina last season.
Iron sharpens iron, Carmack said, “and that’s absolutely true here at UIS.”
“These guys, Adam, Chad, Connor (McKenna), Braden Roesch, they're all just phenomenal pitchers and the chance to get to work alongside them every day definitely makes me better,” Carmack said. “And then obviously competing against one of the best offenses in the country in inner squads, I've definitely developed and become the best pitcher I am because I'm at UIS.”
‘My biggest stride’
Saner, a Lanphier graduate, quickly soared as a freshman.
He went 8-0 and posted a 2.13 ERA in 12 starts in 2021.
That promising start was dashed by Tommy John surgery at the beginning of last season. In fact, both Saner and Brouwer’s surgeries were just five days apart and required about the same amount of time to heal before recovering in the fall.
Saner said he also had to overcome a bad back.
“Being able to work through both of those and come back and have the success I have had has probably been my biggest stride,” Saner said.
Sharing that experience with another teammate was at least one upside, Brouwer said.
“It's definitely long and kind of monotonous at times, especially the early stages because you can't really do anything,” said Brouwer, who was similarly sidelined by an ulnar nerve. “You kind of just have to let the elbow heal and really being patient throughout the whole thing, so you're not rushing back. That's really, really key to get back healthy. I think both of us did a really good job of that.
“It is tough to kind of watch, especially on a team as good as this. You kind of just have to sit and watch, and you can't really be a part of it.
“But coming back, I knew that I had a chance to have a role and I think I did a good job of preparing myself for the role.”
Copeland strikes again
It’s hard to dispute the results.
Saner is 6-1 with a 3.39 ERA and 79 strikeouts to just 21 walks in 13 starts. Brouwer is 7-2 with a 3.67 ERA and 62 Ks to just 17 walks.
Carmack leads the rotation with a staggering 100 Ks to complement his 4.19 ERA. He ranks 19th nationally in total Ks and No. 2 for strikeouts per nine innings (15.52).
It’s no wonder UIS ranks first in the latter category as a team (11.6).
“We're all kind of similar pitchers when you really look at it,” Brouwer said. “We're all right-handed and throw around the same velocity. I think we're just really, really good at the little things. We're really good at making our pitches really good at hitting spots, and the strikeouts just kind of come with that.”
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UIS head coach Ryan Copeland, in his fourth season at the helm, also knows how to call the pitches from the dugout. He previously assisted the pitching staff for four seasons before taking charge.
Carmack said he was excited to hear from Copeland after entering the transfer portal.
“In the first couple of conversations, we talked on the phone for about an hour just all through pitching, recovery — anything and everything baseball,” Carmack said. “It was exciting to have a guy that really focuses on pitching leading the staff. So just his knowledge of the game, his experience at the professional level and the way he brings that in has definitely helped me develop as a pitcher and it was something that I was looking for coming in.”
Carmack had his first taste of the postseason in the GLVC tournament that ended with losses to William Jewell College and Maryville in Marion.
Their back home now.
“It raises the temperature a little bit,” Carmack said. “It makes everybody throw harder, want to be at their best form of baseball and hopefully come this weekend, I'll be able to follow in Chad's and Adam's footsteps and go throw a good game."
Contact Bill Welt: 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: UIS baseball: Saner, Carmack, Brouwer highlight strong rotation
