Insider: Mechals hits new levels

Until this Grand Canyon season began on Feb. 15, Kade Mechals' last college outing was a shutout of Edmonds (Wash.) Community College in May.

He sure figured out how to top that.

After a dedicated summer of workouts, adding a changeup to his repertoire, pitching at Cape Cod Baseball League and playing fall ball at GCU, Mechals emerged as the Lopes' ace and has allowed only one run in his first starts against Wichita State, TCU and USC, which cumulatively have 33 College World Series appearances.

"I've been enjoying the ride a lot," Mechals said. "It's been a dream come true."

Mechals' ERA is 0.49 after allowing that lone run and just nine hits over 18 1/3 innings. He has 22 strikeouts to only five walks. He is one of only 10 Division I pitchers to allow one or no runs in 18 1/3 innings or more this season.

But chances are those other pitchers did not go unrecruited by Division I programs out of high school, as Mechals did. The right-hander was a standout at McMinnville (Ore.) High School before spending the 2017 season as the closer for Division II Western Oregon and starting eight games last year at Skagit Valley College, a junior college in Mount Vernon, Wash.

There is motivation in pitching to batters who were recruited more than him.

"I've always had a lot of confidence in my stuff," Mechals said. "I know I'm a good pitcher. I've proven that along this journey. But I was nervous. I'm fearful of every opponent we play. Anybody is capable of beating really anybody. But when I get on the mound, it's all confidence and I just want to go out and execute pitches. I know, if I do that, I can beat anybody. I use the fear as motivation to work hard throughout the week. When I get to the game, the confidence is there.

"I try to pitch to a nameless, faceless opponent and just attack every hitter as if I have no idea who they are."

It is effective, especially after working with Lopes pitching coach Rich Dorman in the offseason to incorporate a changeup with his fastball, slider and curveball. While at Cape Cod with the top collegiate prospects, Mechals continually was told by hitters that a good changeup was the hardest pitch to hit because it is difficult to recognize.

When he studies his GCU outings, Mechals hears the broadcasts' commentators repeat that his size (5 feet 11, 180 pounds) and velocity (low 90s fastball) do not match many aces.

"There's still something to be said about hitting spots and being able to mess with a hitter's timing." Mechals said. "A lot of pitchers just want to focus on how nasty they can get their stuff or how hard they can throw. There's a lot more to pitching than that and Dor (Dorman) knows that. He's done a really good job of helping me pitch to my strengths against the weaknesses of the hitters."

Mechals credits GCU for creating the process that readied him to get two of his first three Division I wins on the road. Dorman creates a pitching routine, scouting reports and game plans. Performance specialist Mike Henriques strengthened Mechals with a weightlifting program. Athletic trainer Greg Spence takes care of maintenance on Mechals' right arm.

Mechals also has the support of his family, with his parents attending each start and other relatives, including his great-grandmother, watching and texting from afar.

"It's really been a lot of fun," Mechals said. "I just hope I can do the same for the rest of the season."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Kade Mechals

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