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MCGILL: Herd baseball seniors aim for winning sendoff
5/15/2019 2:23:00 PM | Baseball, Word on the Herd
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jeff Waggoner celebrated the 300th win of his Marshall baseball coaching career this week. Three players, including senior catcher Rey Pastrana, were around for win No. 200, too.
Pastrana collected three hits on that day three years ago, just as he did in Tuesday's milestone win at Ohio. The 2018 Johnny Bench Award finalist for the best catcher in college baseball – and a first team Conference USA last season, too – will be among 10 seniors participating in their final home series this week, starting with Thursday's matchup with Rice.
In addition to Pastrana, the seniors include Sam Boone, Raul Cabrera, Shane Hanon, Tucker Linder, Steven Nice, Erik Rodriguez, Joshua Shapiro, Riley Storedahl and Andrew Zban.
Pastrana, though, is their leader.
"Rey is an extension of the coaching staff," Waggoner said. "He's the heart and soul of this program. He's the quarterback back there. To me, I haven't seen a better catcher. I can't remember a better catcher in college baseball. Hopefully, he gets his shot to play in the conference tournament and he gets his shot to play in Major League Baseball. He deserves both."
Marshall – 25-26 overall and 11-15 in C-USA play – is still battling for a spot in next week's Conference USA tournament, which is set for May 22-26 at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Herd hosts Rice on Thursday at 3 p.m., Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. to conclude the regular season, and then await its conference tournament fate. All pitchers for the three-game series are TBA for both teams.
Marshall's magic number is three heading into Thursday's game and the Herd could solidify a spot in Biloxi with either a series sweep of series or two wins and losses by Middle Tennessee and FIU. The Herd can still reach the tournament with one win or if it would get swept, but MU would need more help than what's listed above.
Pastrana hopes this weekend isn't the end of his collegiate baseball career.
"I have been playing since I was 7 years old," he said. "We just arrived to the United States from Venezuela, and my brother played baseball so I followed in his footsteps. In Miami, Little League is crazy. There's so many kids playing baseball down there and it's amazing the talent you see every day."
Pastrana was a shortstop in Little League, and occasionally pitched. It wasn't until he was 13 years old when he debuted as a catcher and threw out five baserunners in a game.
"Ever since then, I've caught every game," he said.
At Marshall, Pastrana has 29 home runs and 115 RBIs in his four-year career. But, Waggoner said, the contributions are deeper than numbers that can be found on the back of a baseball card.
"I remember – we got him late, like June or July going into his freshman year," Waggoner said. "He was everything I was looking for, and he got better and better. He's really helped our freshmen get better. That's the kind of teammate he is."
Pastrana is most comfortable behind the dish. This season, he played first base on occasion, but struggled away from home.
"I feel like when I'm not in the game, I'm not in control," he said. "I like catching because I feel like I can control everything. It's all on me."
More than anyone, Pastrana has caught Shapiro. The left-handed pitcher from Columbus, Ohio, leads the team in games started, innings pitched and strikeouts this season.
"He's a bulldog," Waggoner said. "He put a lot of time into his body, had a good summer and kept getting better and better. He's pitched in every role from bullpen to closer to starter. He's one of the best in the conference, and he's going to lead our team this week to try and get into the tournament."
Shapiro said his visit to Huntington as a prep hurler surprised him – it coincided with the opening of the indoor facility – and an in-home visit from Waggoner sold him on the program.
"Being part of Marshall baseball has been like being part of one big family," Shapiro said. "I've met some of the best friends I've had in my life, and they are people I'll always stay in touch with. I've been lucky to play for four years."
Shapiro always seemed destined for a life in baseball. When he was brought home from the hospital as a newborn, his grandfather left a tiny bat in the crib. He took that passion for the sport and aimed to be a weekend starter in college. He has done that.
Boone is a 6-8, 260-pound right-hander from Shoreline, Washington. He has pitched 15 1/3 innings this season, striking out 19. Cabrera is a 5-11 infielder from Orlando, Florida. He has seen action in 38 games – 37 starts – and hit .258 in 132 at-bats. Hanon is a 6-3 outfielder from Gig Harbor, Washington. He hit a robust .382 in 29 games (all starts) this season, including five home runs and 26 RBIs in 110 at-bats. Linder is a 6-5 outfielder from Tallmadge, Ohio, and has a .330 batting average across 51 starts. He has hit six homers and 44 RBs in 215 at-bats, and had a 22-game hitting streak this season. Nice is an infielder from Pleasanton, California, and has seen action in 12 games (four starts). Rodriguez is a 5-11 outfielder who is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, but came to the United States to attend college. He has hit .305 in 50 games this season, driving in 31 runs and stealing 21 bases. He also set the program record for triples in a season with eight. Zban, a homegrown product from Huntington, has three homers and 15 RBIs in his final season. He also swiped five bags.
Three years ago, Pastrana, Shapiro and redshirt junior Patrick Murphy were part of a team that won 34 games overall (21 in C-USA play) and reached the tournament semifinals.
"This is a group of seniors that have really pushed to get the program back to a championship level," Waggoner said. "This game is hard and this is a hard conference. They've put the time in to be at that level, but we haven't been able to put it all together. But, this season is not over with, either. This is a game of ups and downs. You can go on a run really quick. We started hot, and hopefully we can get our mojo back.
"These seniors deserve it. They've been outstanding academically. We had over a 3.0 GPA in the fall. They've been great ambassadors for Marshall. They give back to the community. Everything that you could ask for from a senior group, and I hope they get what they deserve in the next couple of weeks."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
