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Coro: 1-2-3, they're out at the Ohl ball game
5/25/2021 8:00:00 AM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU pitcher expands arsenal, keeps to strike zone for No. 1 tourney seed
When Pierson Ohl takes the mound as Grand Canyon's starting pitcher for the WAC Tournament this week, he will do it with the same glee that he showed as a 4-year-old in a Chicago Cubs uniform with an ear-to-ear grin for his first Little League season.
But Ohl is not even the same pitcher that was rolling when his sophomore season was shut down prematurely because of COVID-19 last year.
The junior right-hander has gobbled up a WAC-leading nine wins this season with the same penchant for eating up batters via pinpoint location. Opponents still can expect to be fed a steady diet of strikes from Ohl, but they are more unsure this season about how they will be delivered now that the WAC Pitcher of the Year added a breaking ball to his repertoire.
"I get goosebumps just thinking about it," said Ohl, who also started a 2019 WAC Tournament game as a freshman. "We've come so far from when we were shut down last March to an entire offseason of COVID protocols to getting to this moment with the position we're in as the No. 1 seed. I don't think there's a group of guys I'd want to go to war with more than the ones we have right now.
"I'm going to take that challenge upon myself to the hill in Game 1 and let everyone know we're here for business. We're not going to let this one slip through our fingers."
Ohl lost his breakout sophomore year's conference season and a chance to pitch in the Cape Cod Baseball League, but he emerged a better pitcher to go 9-1 this season with a 2.55 ERA (No. 2 in WAC), .211 opponent batting average (No. 1 in WAC) and 92 strikeouts (No. 2 in WAC) to 11 walks. Nationally, Ohl ranks fifth strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.36 to 1), second in complete games (six) and eighth in victories (nine).
"You know every time Pierson's out there that he's going to compete like a son of a gun," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "That's just his DNA."
Working with first-year Lopes pitching coach Jon Wente, Ohl did more than add a third pitch to the fastball/change-up mix that already gave batters fits low in the zone. He made that curveball strong enough to be an out pitch.
"I've seen tremendous strides with that this year and it's been a huge factor in my success, being able to give hitter some inconsistency in my pitching," Ohl said. "Now, there's a breaking ball that can make them swing and miss or change their eye level. Adding that third pitch really gave me an edge on hitters with a 33% chance instead of a 50-50.
"When I first brought it to the scene, it was more like I was just going to show it here or there. I'm going to let you know I have it, but I'm not really going to use it. This season, I told myself, 'If I really want to pitch at the next level, I'm going to need a third pitch that can put away hitters,' and I think we've seen that so far."
The Ohl control has been there since boyhood, when his father, Brian, introduced him to the game after being a catcher/reliever in junior college and on a South Korean club. Ohl was the star shortstop who loved taking grounders for hours but also served as his teams' secondary pitcher because he threw strikes.
As a Grace Brethren High School player watching others make the move from Simi Valley, California, to college teams, it became his goal too. His father/Little League coach guided him to that level. His mother, Cori, pushed him to the next one. She enrolled him at a gym and combed YouTube for drills to improve his speed.
"She would pull me out of bed at 6 a.m. on school days and we would go to the park and do speed drills before school because she was as invested as I was," Ohl said. "As hardcore as she sounds, she was a cheerleader. She's the best mom I could ask for. She knew I was willing to work for it, but she knew I could use a little kick in the behind when I was younger."
The family contributions to Ohl's success continue with his brother, Carson, a GCU freshman pitcher who filled the competitive void with pandemic-time golf outings and offers conversation and input that can hold his interest for hours.
Ohl's GCU influences started before he enrolled. Former Lopes ace Jake Wong was his recruiting visit host ("Whatever he did, I thought it was the coolest thing ever"). Freshman teammate Kade Mechals was the next Lopes ace turned MLB Draft high pick ("There were so many things that he rubbed off on me and I still use to this day").
Now, Ohl is that experienced, successful pitcher for 10 Lopes' underclassmen pitchers to model.
"He's been so good this whole season," GCU senior center fielder Brock Burton said. "We've become accustomed to him just dominating every game. We're all super-proud of the way he's pitched all year and he's got a lot in front of him."
This week's opportunity is not lost on Ohl. He has watched and been part of Lopes teams that were capable of reaching the NCAA tournament but felt short at this stage. He was planning for this chance last year when the season ended prematurely in March.
"It's not only helped the team, but it's helped me not take things for granted, knowing things can be taken away so quickly," Ohl said. "Most people get comfortable with constants in Division I sports. Life as normal isn't guaranteed and that opened our eyes."
But Ohl is not even the same pitcher that was rolling when his sophomore season was shut down prematurely because of COVID-19 last year.
The junior right-hander has gobbled up a WAC-leading nine wins this season with the same penchant for eating up batters via pinpoint location. Opponents still can expect to be fed a steady diet of strikes from Ohl, but they are more unsure this season about how they will be delivered now that the WAC Pitcher of the Year added a breaking ball to his repertoire."I get goosebumps just thinking about it," said Ohl, who also started a 2019 WAC Tournament game as a freshman. "We've come so far from when we were shut down last March to an entire offseason of COVID protocols to getting to this moment with the position we're in as the No. 1 seed. I don't think there's a group of guys I'd want to go to war with more than the ones we have right now.
"I'm going to take that challenge upon myself to the hill in Game 1 and let everyone know we're here for business. We're not going to let this one slip through our fingers."
Ohl lost his breakout sophomore year's conference season and a chance to pitch in the Cape Cod Baseball League, but he emerged a better pitcher to go 9-1 this season with a 2.55 ERA (No. 2 in WAC), .211 opponent batting average (No. 1 in WAC) and 92 strikeouts (No. 2 in WAC) to 11 walks. Nationally, Ohl ranks fifth strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.36 to 1), second in complete games (six) and eighth in victories (nine).
"You know every time Pierson's out there that he's going to compete like a son of a gun," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "That's just his DNA."Working with first-year Lopes pitching coach Jon Wente, Ohl did more than add a third pitch to the fastball/change-up mix that already gave batters fits low in the zone. He made that curveball strong enough to be an out pitch.
"I've seen tremendous strides with that this year and it's been a huge factor in my success, being able to give hitter some inconsistency in my pitching," Ohl said. "Now, there's a breaking ball that can make them swing and miss or change their eye level. Adding that third pitch really gave me an edge on hitters with a 33% chance instead of a 50-50.
"When I first brought it to the scene, it was more like I was just going to show it here or there. I'm going to let you know I have it, but I'm not really going to use it. This season, I told myself, 'If I really want to pitch at the next level, I'm going to need a third pitch that can put away hitters,' and I think we've seen that so far."
The Ohl control has been there since boyhood, when his father, Brian, introduced him to the game after being a catcher/reliever in junior college and on a South Korean club. Ohl was the star shortstop who loved taking grounders for hours but also served as his teams' secondary pitcher because he threw strikes.
As a Grace Brethren High School player watching others make the move from Simi Valley, California, to college teams, it became his goal too. His father/Little League coach guided him to that level. His mother, Cori, pushed him to the next one. She enrolled him at a gym and combed YouTube for drills to improve his speed.
"She would pull me out of bed at 6 a.m. on school days and we would go to the park and do speed drills before school because she was as invested as I was," Ohl said. "As hardcore as she sounds, she was a cheerleader. She's the best mom I could ask for. She knew I was willing to work for it, but she knew I could use a little kick in the behind when I was younger."
The family contributions to Ohl's success continue with his brother, Carson, a GCU freshman pitcher who filled the competitive void with pandemic-time golf outings and offers conversation and input that can hold his interest for hours.
Ohl's GCU influences started before he enrolled. Former Lopes ace Jake Wong was his recruiting visit host ("Whatever he did, I thought it was the coolest thing ever"). Freshman teammate Kade Mechals was the next Lopes ace turned MLB Draft high pick ("There were so many things that he rubbed off on me and I still use to this day").
Now, Ohl is that experienced, successful pitcher for 10 Lopes' underclassmen pitchers to model.
"He's been so good this whole season," GCU senior center fielder Brock Burton said. "We've become accustomed to him just dominating every game. We're all super-proud of the way he's pitched all year and he's got a lot in front of him."
This week's opportunity is not lost on Ohl. He has watched and been part of Lopes teams that were capable of reaching the NCAA tournament but felt short at this stage. He was planning for this chance last year when the season ended prematurely in March.
"It's not only helped the team, but it's helped me not take things for granted, knowing things can be taken away so quickly," Ohl said. "Most people get comfortable with constants in Division I sports. Life as normal isn't guaranteed and that opened our eyes."
Players Mentioned
Thursday, June 11
Friday, June 05
Monday, June 01
Saturday, May 16