Author Note: This piece was delayed due to a combination of work, summer classes, and more. Appreciate your patience!
This is the fourth and final piece of a four-part series that will look at each month of the 2021 season in depth. Included is a schedule recap, hitter and pitcher of the month, and other notes from that portion of the year. For February, click here. For March, click here. For April, click here.
A tough season came to an end with just three wins in 10 games for the Eagles as they went from taking two of three to Miami to dropping a pair of midweeks and losing their final two conference series’.
Here’s a look at the games, stats, and highlights:
Games
MIDWEEKS: It was an ugly pair of midweek games for the Eagles. Against Massachusetts, BC lost its first road game to the Minutemen since 2013 courtesy of an eighth-inning wild pitch. Then, two weeks later, Merrimack—recently promoted to Division I—won its first game in program history against the Eagles by a 7-5 score.
After Miami evened the weekend series with a 2-1 win, squandering a Mason Pelio quality start, BC roared back on Sunday with an 11-6 win thanks to a six-RBI day from Luke Gold. The third baseman went 4-for-5 with four extra base hits—two doubles, a triple, and a home run—as the Eagles’ claimed their first conference series win since February.
A frustrating weekend against Pittsburgh followed as BC had a very clear path to a sweep but instead dropped two of three. On Friday, Panthers’ ace Mitch Myers outdueled Emmet Sheehan—who was dealing and struck out a career-high 15—in a 4-1 decision. Then, in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Eagles’ and reliever Alex Stiegler squandered a 3-2 lead in the eighth to fall, 4-3. They salvaged the series in the nightcap, though, as Stiegler was excellent in relief and the lineup found some timely hits in a 6-2 victory.
Eliminated from playoff contention, the year came to a close against a surging Virginia side. The Cavaliers took the first two games comfortably (7-1 and 9-2 scorelines), but the Eagles were able to avoid the sweep thanks to a win in the season finale that was a fitting send-off for the likes of Cody Morissette, Sal Frelick, Joey Walsh, and Alex Stiegler.
Team Stats
Record: 3-7, -10 run differential
Hitting: R/G, .289/.407/.471, 91 OPS+, 5 HR, 10 BB%, 22 K%
Starting Pitching: 50.1 IP, 5.90 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 4.96 FIP, 12 BB%, 18 K%
Bullpen: 36.2 IP, 3.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3.36 FIP, 4 BB%, 21 K%
Hitter of the Month: Cody Morissette, 2B
.439/.444/.585, 134 OPS+, 4 XBH, 7 RBI
Coming into the season, Morissette was a preseason All-American and had plenty of helium in his draft stock. An injury-hampered year didn’t help as he battled a hand injury and struggled to find his groove after missing time. In May, though, we saw the best version of Morissette—and the one that warranted a second-round draft selection. He nearly hit .440 across 10 games and 45 plate appearances, only heating up as the year wound down. Against Virginia, Morissette went 6-for-12 with a home run and five RBIs.
Honorable Mentions:
Sal Frelick, CF — .343/.439/.629, 139 OPS+, 5 2B, HR, 9 R, 5 SB
Luke Gold, 3B — .317/.356/.488, 110 OPS+, 2 2B, HR, 10 RBI
Pitcher of the Month: Joey Walsh, RHP
1 SV, 7.2 IP, 9 K, 2.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 1.95 FIP, 3 BB%, 27 K%
If you look at Walsh’s year-end stats, the 5.79 ERA or 1.58 WHIP won’t blow you away. That’s not what you’d expect from the most reliable reliever on the pitching staff (granted, the 3.88 FIP is a better number). Remove his two blow-ups against Clemson and Notre Dame, though, and you get this: 35 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3.05 FIP, 12 BB%, 28 K%. That’s the version of Walsh that was on display across four appearances and 7 2/3 innings of work in May. He turned in three shutout frames with six strikeouts against Miami to open the month, then finished off his season with a three-inning save against Virginia in the finale.
Honorable Mention:
Alex Stiegler, RHP — 19.2 IP, 19 K, 5.49 ERA, 4.67 FIP, 1.63 WHIP
Opponents hit .315 against Stiegler in the month of May, but he still accounted for all three of the Eagles’ wins and grinded his way through some tough outings. Against Miami, Stiegler was handed a 7-0 lead and gave up six runs on 10 hits, but hung on to pitch six innings and help a labored bullpen. In a doubleheader against Pittsburgh, Stiegler surrendered a one-run lead in the eighth to drop the first game, but rebounded with nearly four perfect innings in the nightcap to secure a win. He was at his best, striking out seven and allowing just two baserunners. Finally, in his last outing of the year, Stiegler worked six innings in the season finale against Virginia, throwing a season-high 126 pitches in a 8-6 win.
Monthly Quotables:
“[Left field] has been a spot that nobody has jumped up and grabbed. We kept waiting for somebody to grab it and run with it. It’s the only spot in the order that somebody hasn’t.” — Gambino on the shuffling of players in left field throughout the year.
“Honestly, you’re seeing [Luke Gold] get healthy. He’s been dealing with that back for about six weeks, but [trainer Eric Crest] has done a great job getting him back and his back’s feeling better.” — Gambino on the nagging back injury that third baseman Luke Gold dealt with.
“It was a huge weekend for our bullpen. It was a huge weekend for our staff in general. We believe in Charlie and have a lot of faith and trust in him and he showed again today why.” — Gambino after the Eagles’ bullpen stepped up to secure a weekend series win over Miami.
Featured Images Courtesy of BC Athletics