Simmons starring on mound for Milligan

By Trey Williams
Press Sports Writer

After missing the 2001 season due to elbow surgery and spending much of last year regaining command and confidence, Matt Simmons’ pitching has been one of the consistent aspects of Milligan’s sporadic start this season.

Simmons said the trials and tribulations helped him mature, and it’s apparently paid off.

Simmons is 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA. He also has 33 strikeouts against only eight walks in 342/3 innings.

“I’ve been a little more consistent with my velocity and location,” said Simmons, a senior from Richlands, Va. “But I think pitching with confidence is a big part of it. I’m not overanalyzing out there and I’ve gotten in a nice rhythm.”

Simmons said his most productive start, psychologically at least, could’ve come in his lone loss this year, which came against Bryan.

“I started really badly that game,” Simmons said. “But I settled down after that and pitched pretty well. Even though I lost, I felt like I took something positive away from it.”

Simmons came to Milligan after one year at Walters State. He didn’t end up there due to grades, but because a solid offer from Virginia Tech didn’t materialize after some of the players Tech projected as getting drafted weren’t.

“Where you end up is (kind of a crapshoot),” Simmons said. “But I feel like I’m where I belong.”

As part of a veteran roster, Simmons should be positioned well for a successful farewell. But while head coach Danny Clark said he expected his team to compete for the Appalachian Athletic Conference title, the Buffs have started 13-11 and 4-3 in the league.

“We’ve lost a ton of one-run games and a lot of tight games late,” Simmons said. “I think we’re a little disappointed at this point, but with a few breaks we could be 19-5. And even though they’re doing pretty well, Dustin Price and Scott Shealy haven’t really gotten hot yet.”

Price is slugging over .600, hitting over .300 and leads the team in home runs. But like Shealy, he hasn’t had a lot of pitches to work with.

“Shealy and Price have been pitched pretty carefully,” Clark said. “Ben Whittemore has been huge for us. He’s doing a great job hitting in the three-hole.”

Price has hit third, fourth and fifth in the order, and has already drawn as many walks as he did last year. North Greenville also hit him with pitches three times.

“I’m seeing four or five fastballs a weekend,” said Price, a sophomore from Science Hill. “And a lot of those are setup pitches.”

Still, Price is disappointed with his production thus far when teams have had to come at him in key situations.

“Even in batting practice, I’m working on hitting the ball the other way because I know they’re going to pitch me away,” Price said. “But I think I’m concentrating on that so much that when I get a pitch I should turn on, I’m hitting it off my hands. That’s the way I’d pitch me right now.”

Price said the up-and-down start seems to be a pressing issue for everyone.

“It doesn’t seem like we’re having any fun out there,” Price said. “It’s like a job. I think for us to be at our best we need to be laughing and talking out there.”

Clark said winning consistently will bring joy.

“We’ve lost four games where we’re leading in the final inning,” Clark said. “We just need to get some more wins under our belt.”

With Simmons and fellow starters Dustin Barrett, Brad Zachritz and Todd Speas, most of Milligan’s remaining losses could also be tight ones.

“Our starting pitching has lived up to expectations,” Price said. “Matt’s got a good fastball and a good offspeed pitch. He got me 10 or 11 ground balls over at third base in his last start.”

Milligan hosts Hilbert College (N.Y.) for a doubleheader today beginning at 1 p.m.

###

______________________________________________________________________

About Milligan College

Milligan College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Northeast Tennessee, nationally recognized for its commitment to excellence in academic, social and spiritual development. The college has consistently been named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.milligan.edu or call 423.461.8719.

Return to Sports News Release Page | Return to Milligan College Home Page