Jake Plourde
Equinox Staff
The dream of most baseball pitchers is to be a starter, to be that guy who pitches the whole game, letting little to no runs in.
Mr. Dependable, who will give you consistent outings.
Keene State College senior Nick Winn has gotten his chance to be that pitcher this year.
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“I have gotten some spot starts this year,” said Winn. “This year there has been a lot of injuries, so I started to pitch.”
KSC baseball coach Ken Howe said when the team had some injuries to their projected starters, Winn stepped up. “He came in and gave us more innings, and he has the ability to do that,” Howe said. “Nick will throw strikes and keep it in play.”
Howe explained that he likes his pitchers to throw early strikes and get early contact constantly, making the other team ground the ball and making plays easier for the defense.
Winn has a good, hard sinker that makes hitters do just that.
Winn is from West Hartford, Conn. and has played on the KSC team for three years.
He is a social science major with a criminal justice minor.
How often Winn will get the starting role will depend mostly on the team’s schedule.
If the team doesn’t have many games in a week, or the games are somewhat spread out, then the team can get away with throwing just its first three starters.
However, when the team has many games in one week, Winn said it has to turn to its number four and five starters.
“I am probably the fourth or fifth guy, so depending on how many games the team has that week, I will start or come in for relief,” Winn said.
Coach Howe explains that it isn’t only when the team plays, but who the team plays that determines who will pitch.
“We try to map out opponents, and what type of game they play,” Howe said.
In the past, Winn has pitched as a reliever, appearing five times in the last two years each.
Last year as a junior, Winn recorded a 1-0 record with a 7.71 ERA in 9.1 innings. As a sophomore, Winn recorded an 0-1 record with a 7.20 ERA.
For the remainder of the season Winn could see more starts.
As tournaments start up, teams start to play more games, which could lead to more starts for Winn.
Coach Howe said he believes Winn will pitch well no matter what type of pitching he is doing. “I expect Nicki to continue to give us quality outings, in whatever role he is given,” Howe said.
Winn said he will continue to do his job no matter what. “I really am here to try to keep our team in the ball game,” Winn said. “In whatever role I am given, I want to do my job successfully.”
Winn said his most memorable moment on the team was his first start.
“Being able to pitch against Amherst was a big deal for me,” Winn said. “I never had that kind of role before, and it felt good Coach Howe had that kind of confidence in me.”
After Winn graduates in early May, he hopes to coach baseball during the summer and hopes he can find a job in the criminal justice field.
If he doesn’t get to continue with the game, his passion won’t disappear.
Jake Plourde can be contacted at
Jplourde1@ksc.mailcruiser.com