Marshall University Athletics
Former Herd Pitcher Leading Texas League in Strikeouts
5/12/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2012
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Former Marshall starting pitcher Daniel Straily used 11 strikeouts in a recent outing with the Midland Rockhounds to become the current strikeout leader in Double-A’s Texas League.
Straily pitched for the Thundering Herd during the 2008 and 2009 seasons and helped push Marshall through a conference tournament run in 2008. The right-hander was an instrumental part of the 30-win season that year and continued his success by gathering All-Conference USA Tournament Team honors and helping propel the Herd to the championship game.
Straily, who is in his first year with the Oakland Athletic’s Double-A affiliate Midland Rockhounds, endured a rough start last Friday but settled down to strike out 11 hitters in seven innings of work as he picked up the win against the Corpus Christi Hooks. Straily limited the Hooks to one run on three hits and a pair of walks.
Straily now has 52 punchouts in 40.1 innings pitched for the season. Teammate A.J. Griffin has 44 Ks and ranks second in the Texas League.
During his career at Marshall, Straily struck out 115 hitters in 153.2 innings. He went 9-7 in two seasons and held an earned run average of 4.28. In 2009, he led the Herd with 58 punchouts and garnered second team All-C-USA honors.
During the tournament run in 2008, Straily took a loss in an opening round game against Southern Miss but seized redemption with a two-inning relief win over USM two days later. The two innings of perfect relief allowed the Herd to come from behind and defeat Southern Miss 5-3 and advance to the championship game.
After the victory over Southern Miss, Straily was immediately called upon for the start in the title game against Houston. There, he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits, but Marshall would take the loss in the eighth.
