A conversation with right-hander Emmet Sheehan
The junior has shook off tough starts to spin back-to-back gems and is aiming to establish himself as a top-notch weekend starter in the ACC.
Boston College right-hander Emmet Sheehan has had a fantastic start to his 2021 campaign. The third-year starter has already tripled his career high in wins and seen his ERA drop three points from 2020. He has started six games for the Eagles this year and has recorded four quality starts with a trio of wins. In his last two outings—against UNC and Clemson—Sheehan has dazzled, holding two ACC offenses to four runs over 13-plus innings while recording 15 strikeouts.
His fast start can be attributed to his improved command. Over his first two seasons on the Heights he averaged 10.9 walks per nine innings. This year, however, that number has fallen to 3.8. Fewer walks has led to impressive strikeout numbers (11.11 K/9) and also allowed him to get deeper into games. In his four starts in 2020, Sheehan averaged just 3 1/2 innings per start. That number has increased significantly, as he’s now averaging 5 1/2 innings per outing. These longer starts have allowed Sheehan to showcase his electric pitch mix, garnering him some national attention as one of the ACC’s top Saturday starters.
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Andrew Kynes: You’ve been tremendous this year, what would you say has been your identity on the mound to start this season?
Emmet Sheehan: It’s been interesting. During the first couple of games, I didn’t have a very tough time. But, after those first starts, I had one pretty rough start at Auburn, and after that I had to rethink what my mentality would be on the mound moving forward. Since then, I’ve just been in attack mode all the time, just going out there to beat each batter while staying aggressive.
Kynes: Since that start, you have faced an NCAA tournament quality lineup each time out, what has that been like for you?
Sheehan: It’s awesome. There’s really no pressure on us because we spent the whole winter and fall facing what is, in my opinion, the best lineup in the country. So I just go out there and execute how I know that I can.
Kynes: What’s it been like having that lineup? It’s got to be reassuring to know that they can seemingly score runs whenever they want to.
Sheehan: It’s unbelievable what they do. There’s no pressure on me when I’m out there on the mound. In past years, especially in high school, I felt that sometimes I had to do it all. When we faced off against another really good pitcher, it was probably going to be a 1-0, 2-0 game. But now, this team is putting up eight, nine, or ten runs a game and it takes a lot of pressure off of me and the entire staff.
Kynes: You have reduced your walks per nine from 10 last year to around 4 this year. Besides just throwing more strikes, what changed?
Sheehan: I worked really hard on getting my mechanics to be consistent all the time and feeling more smooth. I really just try my best to pitch within myself. Last year, and in the past couple of years, I feel like I was trying to do too much, which leads to a lot of strikeouts but also a lot of walks. I just try to stay within the zone and make adjustments when I do feel myself slip a little bit.
Kynes: Was the long offseason beneficial to you, and do you attribute any of this success to being able to train for almost a full year?
Sheehan: Yeah It definitely had a positive effect on me. I kind of loved quarantine because I didn’t really have any pressure to be anywhere or practice anywhere in particular. I was able to get my work in when I wanted to. It was great for self-motivation and for figuring out who I was as a player by just working hard.
Kynes: You’ve been going pretty deep into games lately, how does your approach change during your second and third times through a lineup?
Sheehan: I’m really just thinking the same thing the whole time—I just want to give the coaches a chance to save a couple of arms for later in the game. It’s been really tough, we’ve been using a lot of guys out of the bullpen. So I’ve been trying to get through the lineup as many times as possible and get as many outs as I can, so we can save those guys and use them on Sunday.
Kynes: When do you normally start looking into an opposing lineup for your Saturday start?
Sheehan: I start looking at the team a few days in advance. Coach Trezza goes over the scouting report with us and goes really in-depth. We get video on the guys we are facing, so I’ll take a look at those a few days before the game too. But I really just focus on trying to stay to my approach and doing what I know I can do out there.
Kynes: Even though the last couple series’ have not gone your guys’ way, they have had an NCAA tournament or regional feel to them. What would it mean to you to be able to pitch in the NCAA tournament this year?
Sheehan: It would be unbelievable, especially if it’s in Boston and we have all the fans there. It’s been great really. Last week there were fans up on the hill in left field and there were some fans in the stands—it was awesome to watch everyone supporting us.
Kynes: What’s one thing about Emmet Sheehan that you think BC fans should know?
Sheehan: They should know that I just love the energy. I like to bring the energy every game, getting up for the guys, it’s something that I love.