Trojans' pitching trio looks to step up in Southeast Regional

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on May 14, 2015 1:46 PM

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cellis@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- As the expression goes, "competition breeds excellence."

The University of Mount Olive pitching staff is competitive.

They hope excellence follows.

After picking up two "must-win" games, the Trojans once again find themselves in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. The six-team tournament begins today in Thomasville, and is hosted by Catawba College.

One thing's for certain, the Trojans will hit. As a team, Mount Olive batted .336 on the season, averaged nine runs a game and belted 63 home runs.

What's less known is how the team's pitching staff will fare after an up-and-down season.

The three-headed starting rotation of Derek Justice, Gunnar Kines and Kodi Whitley are looking to steady the ship as the Trojans began their run towards another regional title. With the blend of senior leadership and pure talent the three bring to the table, playing late into June isn't out of the question.

"I know we're a little disappointed because we have more losses than we usually do at this point in the season," Justice said. "But that's behind us. We're ready to move on and see what regionals has for us, just take it one inning, one out, one game at a time."

Justice, Kines and Whitley are the only three pitchers on the Mount Olive roster to make double-digit starts.

The results are mixed. Justice and Kines -- two seniors -- both have eight wins on the season with earned run averages in the mid-3's. Kines' stuff is especially electric, as he comes into the postseason with an impressive 5:1 strikeout-walk-ratio (112 Ks to only 22 walks). He does, however, lead the team with 11 home runs allowed -- more than double anyone else on the team.

Justice doesn't have the same strikeout numbers (only 63 Ks to 20 walks) but keeps the ball in the park, allowing only five home runs on the year. Whitley, the 2014 Conference Carolinas freshman-of-the-year, hasn't fared nearly as well. After ending his freshman campaign with a 6-1 record and sporting a 2.74 ERA, the sophomore nearly doubled it in 2015, ending this most recent season with an ERA of 4.42.

"(This season) hasn't been quite as good as it was last year," Whitley said. "But I thought the starts were still good. Maybe the conference tournament didn't go the way I wanted it to. But you've got to put that stuff behind you and keep working."

Despite a tumultuous season that's now behind them -- all three pitchers each mentioned that the conference tournament was a low point -- they're ready to turn a new leaf and show the rest of the field just how dominant they can be. When each asked about the other two, one phrase continued to resurface.

"I love how (both Whitley and Justice) are bulldogs," Kines said. "They can both get through a bunch of innings when they're out there. They can get through all the tough situations."

"Kodi is a bulldog," Justice added. "No matter what happens out there, his demeanor doesn't change. And then Gunner has the ability to strike people out. I'd definitely like to have the strikeouts that Gunner has."

If what all three say about feeling their best right now is true, then there's no better team to prove that against than their first-round opponent -- Wingate College. The Bulldogs led the South Atlantic Conference in almost every offensive category this season. Their 86 home runs on the year is 18 better than the second-best team.

"You just kind of have to attack them," Whitley said. "They can obviously swing the bat a little bit, but you just have to attack and stay out above the plate and go right at them.

"I think that our pitchers are better than their hitters, to be honest with you," Justice added. "We know enough about them to get them out."