Even in his first collegiate season, freshman Conor LeBlanc has become well acquainted with pressure and expectations.
Against Harvard last Wednesday, with the Beanpot title on the line, LeBlanc took the ball on the mound for the Massachusetts baseball team. He took deep breaths, locked in on the catcher’s sign, went into his windup and fired bullet after bullet after bullet.
In just his third career start, LeBlanc hurled six shutout innings to help UMass (14-14, 8-4 Atlantic 10) defeat the Crimson, 8-7, clinching the program’s sixth Beanpot Championship in the process. LeBlanc scattered three earned runs off nine hits, fanning 11 batters while only walking one.
He was named Co-UMass Athlete of the Week on Monday for his efforts.
The freshman takes the mound for the Minutemen on Wednesday as they host Maine to continue their non-conference schedule. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
The 6-foot-4 LeBlanc, a Glastonbury, Conn. native, has been a staple on the mound for UMass during mid-week contests all spring. He helped pitch the team to the Beanpot finals, defeating Northeastern, 4-1, back on Tuesday, April 10. In the game, he tossed 7.2 innings while allowing just the one run in the game.
“He’s really just a tough guy out there on the mound,” said redshirt freshman Adam Picard, who went 4-for-5 with a home run against the Crimson.
This season, going back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, LeBlanc has shown few signs of trouble adjusting to the role he’s been put in. Over 24.2 total innings, he’s maintained a cool 2.19 ERA, while keeping the walks down.
The pressure comes in pitching in close contests. In his eight games, six of them have been decided by just one run. In close contests like that, just one minor play could end up being the deciding factor of who wins and who loses, and the freshman has come up big time in the big moments.
LeBlanc is an interesting subject for the Minutemen. They need him to step up and be the fourth guy in the rotation and with less than a month remaining in the regular season, LeBlanc is projected to hold onto that spot for the rest of the spring.
However, like most freshman, LeBlanc is still coming into his own. He’s been an extreme groundball pitcher thus far, pitching to his strengths and forcing guys to put the ball in play.
“He’s stayed really confident out there,” said Picard. “Normally, for a lot of younger pitchers after giving up a hit, they get frustrated. [Conor] stays really calm and cool, and he really shows that toughness when he gets in tight spots. He’s been really big for us.”
He showed glimpses of dominance against Harvard – with the aforementioned 11 punch-out’s – but pitching that sort of game leaves one vulnerable to leaving balls up the in the zone for hitters to catch up to, something that he’s prevented for the most part.
Most pitchers may be afraid to challenge hitters inside, but as offensive numbers around college baseball – particularly in the A-10 – have dropped in recent years, LeBlanc may be in a perfect situation at the perfect time.
In only his first college season, LeBlanc has room to grow and develop the other pitches in this repertoire in due-time. He will have time to make his name and find out what kind of player he is.
Picard has been impressed with the rookie’s command on the hill.
“He’s really good at staying in command,” said Picard. “He’s throwing strikes consistently, getting batters out quick.”
Right now, UMass needs him to pitch like the guy he’s been for most of the season; someone that can take a start deep into the late innings, to come out of a game with a lead intact and put the team in a position to win.
Scott Cournoyer can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MDC_Cournoyer.
