Michael Klein is beginning to see himself as a starting pitcher.
His outing in Tuesday's 15-3 win over Morehead State helped him make that case.
In a game the Bobcats controlled from the start, the right-handed Klein dominated on the mound at Bob Wren Stadium. In five innings, he allowed one hit and no runs while striking out two, earning the win. He also faced just two batters over the minimum number he could have through five innings, 15.
“These midweek games, we’ve been down on,” Klein said. “It feels good that I started it and put our team in a winning situation.”
Klein (1-2), one of Ohio’s hardest throwing pitchers, was a reliever in his first 11 appearances of the season. He’s been the starter, however, in Ohio’s past three Tuesday night non-conference games.
He was neither exceptional nor detrimental in his previous two starts, both no-decisions.
But on Tuesday, he took over.
Led by a fastball that ran away from batters, he forced 10 groundouts on the evening.
The only time a leadoff batter reached base against Klein was in the fifth, when third baseman John Adryan misplayed a ground ball and the batter reached on error.
Klein allowed just one runner to get on base through his first four innings. In the fifth, he stranded two runners, and still didn’t allow any Eagles past second.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Bobcats sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs, which created a long enough delay to end Klein’s outing.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="a9386fb0-069c-11e6-ae15-b71296c6b005"}}
“Yeah, I’m a little upset,” Klein said of being taken out. “I’m a competitor. But at the same time you have to understand the situation.”
Coach Rob Smith sent five more pitchers into the game, saying Klein had done what the team needed him to do and that other players needed to get some work in.
Ohio (17-19, 5-7 Mid-American Conference) batted around in the first inning and jumped ahead to a 5-0 lead after Klein recorded his first three outs.
He sat and waited through most of it, but eventually had to start playing catch in foul ground on the third base side to stay loose.
Getting up to play catch may have been a nuisance, but it meant Klein would get to pitch with what every pitcher wants: A lead.
“With a five-run cushion, I just threw it right at hitters,” he said. “Just said, ‘Here you go, hit it.’”
The Bobcats have solidified their three weekend starters — Jake Miller on Fridays, Jake Rudnicki on Saturdays and Connor Sitz on Sundays — but Klein has turned himself into the go-to starter for midweek games.
For someone who’s typically a reliever, he’s also proving he can throw solid chunks of innings. Klein’s past three outings have been for a total of 13 1/3 innings.
When the conference tournament comes around at the end of May, he says he’ll likely be converted back to a long reliever. Above all else, Smith and Klein agreed that Klein will go where the team needs him.
“It’s whatever we ask him to do for this team,” Smith said. “He did a good job tonight and we’ll see where it goes.”
@JordanHorrobin
jh950614@ohio.edu
