Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 3.59.11 PM.pngResults backed up these scary numbers. Opposing batters slugged .726 against them with a .455 xwOBA and smacked nine home runs. For comparison’s sake, Aaron Judge had a .701 SLG and .479 xwOBA last season. Every time King threw a fastball last March or April, it was as if Judge was […]
Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 3.59.11 PM.pngResults backed up these scary numbers. Opposing batters slugged .726 against them with a .455 xwOBA and smacked nine home runs. For comparison’s sake, Aaron Judge had a .701 SLG and .479 xwOBA last season. Every time King threw a fastball last March or April, it was as if Judge was in the batter’s box.L Michael King was always an afterthought. First, going to the Marlins in the 12th round of the 2016 draft out of Boston College. Then, being traded to the Yankees as a throw-in in a deal that was predominantly to acquire international bonus pool money in their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani. Later, as an ascending as a relief pitcher that couldn’t make his way back into the rotation..252 Generally, righty pitchers don’t throw many sweepers to lefty batters because they perform much better against righty hitters. Batter Whiff% .359 Just check out his pitch usage against left-handed batters from May onward.R That last piece of data intuitively makes sense given King’s adjustments after April. Lefties teed off on him early and couldn’t figure him out afterwards. Also, his sinker was devastating against righties and is one of the most difficult pitches to square-up in the league. This is a cool piece of analysis that’s come from new Bat Tracking data.As one of the best run-suppressors in the league, King was a master at limiting hard contact. After allowing 10 home runs in April alone, he surrendered just seven total the rest of the season. He was in the 99th percentile in exit velocity against, 97th percentile in hard-hit rate against, and had the lowest squared-up rate for any starting pitcher in the league after May 1st.King’s sinker became his second-most thrown pitch against lefties after May 1st and he was using it more regularly as a put-away pitch. He also threw it significantly more often against righties. Here’s Mookie Betts looking silly against one for good measure.Those three pitches along with his changeup allowed him to hit the ground running and pitch his way to a 1.88 ERA as a starter in 2023..293 .321 All of these issues could be traced back to his fastballs not maintaining their same level of effectiveness as the season before. Each were a few ticks slower and their Stuff+ each dropped below 80! That’s so bad it’s past the danger zone and in the “something might be really wrong” zone.32.2 Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 4.50.24 PM.png.348
So, what made this move for King possible? And how did he transition so smoothly?
.726
.218 Date At this point, King had two similarly sized samples across two seasons as a starter: in one, he was lights-out and in the other, he was awful.Rather, King had the gumption to start the bulk of his at-bats against lefties with them. More than trust in one’s stuff, that shows a ton of trust in one’s command.
Date
Role Call
wOBA wOBA Lastly, his most thrown pitcher overall to lefties was his changeup – another pitch whose effectiveness is closely tied to command. While that alone was not particularly crazy, King threw that changeup as often when he was behind in the count as he was ahead or had two strikes on a batter. That’s only possibly with pinpoint command and confidence.
So, King had the stuff to be a starter, excelled there in a short stint, and had that role clearly defined for him once in San Diego. All systems go, right? Right?
So, King had the stuff to be a starter, excelled there in a short stint, and had that role clearly defined for him once in San Diego. All systems go, right? Right?
All in all, he wound up as the 17th most valuable starting pitcher in the league according to FanGraphs’ Player Rater. That was ahead of George Kirby, Aaron Nola, and Luis Castillo.
Obviously, moving from the bullpen to the rotation was the key reason King broke out. In fact, he did it before it was cool – shoutout Seth Lugo for truly blazing the trail – and likely paved the way for Reynaldo López, Jordan Hicks, Clay Holmes, and possibly Jeff Hoffman to do the same.
King and his sinker are not average, though. It has plus-plus movement and he has fantastic command overall. That allowed him to be more creative and daring with that pitch than most other pitchers can afford to be. Look at the differences in where he located it in March and April versus the rest of the season.
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After May
Fewer fastballs down the middle is almost always a good thing. King was able to live there in the past when his fastball had more zip. As its stuff waned, his command became more important and helped pull that fastball from the doldrums.
King maintained his starters’ repertoire when he moved to the bullpen. He was one of just 22 relievers who threw a minimum of 50 IP to use four different pitches at least 10% of the time that season. Other current starters Lugo and Nick Martinez were also in that group.
I already told you about the wicked front-hip sinkers against lefties. Possibly more brazen than that, King’s most commonly thrown first pitch to them was his sweeper. The only way he could get away with that was throwing them back-door, and that’s exactly what he did.
With this, he no longer had any holes in his game and ran roughshod through the entire league.
Again, less pitches right down the middle is great. But more specifically, King began locating that sinker on the lefties’ front hip. Few have the ability to weaponize it in that way and he was able to force some outrageous called strikes doing so..356 King came out on the other side of those tough early months with one of the most audacious gameplans in baseball. He did things from a command perspective that most other pitchers won’t even try, let alone center their game around it.This helped to usher in what would be a dominant summer for him.Overall, the results against King’s fastballs improved dramatically from May through the rest of the season. Additionally, King wielded two plus fastballs – his four-seamer and sinker. As a reliever in 2023, they had a 104 and 111 Stuff+, respectively. After moving to the rotation, they held true at 109 and 108..300 At the end of the day, his sinker, sweeper, and changeup are all plus pitches and his command is exceptional. That should establish a safe enough floor for him to be at least a low-end SP1 with upside for more..408 SLG He was one of just 13 starting pitchers who had both an above average four-seamer and sinker by Stuff+. Of course, he only threw 38 1/3 IP as a starter and sat just under five innings per start in that first stint back in the rotation. That allowed him to maintain his velocity from the bullpen and inflate those stuff numbers some. Still, that sinker is ridiculous. To go along with the sinker, King’s sweeper has always been a true out-pitch. It darts across the zone from King’s low, cross-body release and had the fourth-most horizontal movement in baseball when he moved to the rotation. This thing is a frisbee.SLG There should also be confidence in his workload with over 170 innings pitched last season and he’ll still pitch his home games in PetCo Park, one of the best pitchers’ parks in the league.
Men’s Track & Field: John Ihrke Qualifies for All-Region Honors
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Ihrke
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College first year John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) earned All-North Region honors in the 800 meters from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the organization announced today. Athletes must be ranked in […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College first year John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) earned All-North Region honors in the 800 meters from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the organization announced today. Athletes must be ranked in the top five regionally in an individual event, or top three in a relay to receive All-Region honors.
Ihrke posted his best time of the season in the 800 at Hamline’s Meet of the UnSaintly on April 30, winning with a time of 1:51.70. The time ranks fifth in the region, 45th in Division III and second all-time at Macalester. At the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 10 at Macalester, Ihrke finished third in the 800 in 1:51.97 and anchored the Scots’ 4×400-meter relay team to a third-place finish with a time of 3:18.36 to earn All-MIAC honors in both events.
During the indoor season this winter, Ihrke won the MIAC title in the 800 and was named the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. He then broke the school record in the 800 indoors with a time of 1:53.57 at the Wartburg Qualifier on Mar. 8. That time ranked third in the North Region, earning Ihrke Al-North Region accolades indoors.
Click here to view the USTFCCCA All-Region release.
LOS ANGELES – Junior Jordan Woolery of UCLA Softball has been selected the Student-Athlete of the Week for competitions held between May 13-19. The infielder on No. 9-seed UCLA softball team recorded a .556 batting average (5-for-9), two home runs and seven RBIs to help the Bruins (52-10) to a mercy-rule sweep in NCAA […]
LOS ANGELES – Junior Jordan Woolery of UCLA Softball has been selected the Student-Athlete of the Week for competitions held between May 13-19.
The infielder on No. 9-seed UCLA softball team recorded a .556 batting average (5-for-9), two home runs and seven RBIs to help the Bruins (52-10) to a mercy-rule sweep in NCAA Regionals last weekend. Woolery homered and logged two hits in each of the final two victories of Regionals against San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara. She tallied her third five-RBI performance of the season with a triple and home run in the Bruins’ 10-0 shutout victory over the Aztecs on Saturday. On Sunday, Woolery recorded her 22nd home run of the season with an opposite field shot the fourth inning against the Gauchos.
Woolery and the Bruins will begin NCAA Super Regional play this Friday at South Carolina at 10 a.m. PT. The contest will be televised on ESPN2.
The junior secures her fourth-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award, the second of her 2025 campaign.
Also Nominated
Sydney Johnson, W. Track & Field; Michael Pinckney, M. Track & Field; 2V4+, W. Rowing
Previous Winners
Aug. 21 – Bridgette Marin-Valencia, W. Soccer; Aug. 28 – Lilly Reale, W. Soccer; Sept. 4 – Cheridyn Leverette, W. Volleyball; Sept. 11 – Ryder Dodd, M. Water Polo; Sept. 18 – Bode Brinkema, M. Water Polo; Sept. 25 – Sofia Cook, W. Soccer; Oct. 2 – Pablo Ereño, M. Golf; Oct. 9 – Quincy McMahon, W. Soccer; Oct. 16 – Jose Contell, M. Soccer; Oct. 23 – Ethan Garbers, Football; Oct. 30 – Grayce Olson, W. Volleyball; Nov. 6 – Carson Schwesinger, Football; Nov. 13 – Quincy McMahon, W. Soccer; Nov. 20 – Maggie Boyd/Sally Perez, Beach Volleyball; Nov. 27 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Dec. 4 – Carson Schwesinger, Football; Dec. 11 – Ryder Dodd, M. Water Polo; Dec. 18 – Tyler Bilodeau, M. Basketball; Dec. 24 – Kiki Rice, W. Basketball; Jan. 1 – Eric Dailey Jr., M. Basketball; Jan. 8 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Jan. 15 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; Jan. 22 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Jan. 29 – Aday Mara, M. Basketball; Feb. 5 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; Feb. 12 – Taylor Tinsley, Softball; Feb. 19 – Mulivai Levu – Baseball; Feb. 26 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; March 5 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; March 12 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; March 19 – Jordan Woolery, Softball; March 26 – Chae Campbell, Gymnastics; April 2 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; April 9 – Megan Grant, Softball; April 16 – Megan Grant, Softball; April 23 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; April 30 – Omar Morales, M. Golf; May 7 – Jeremy Zammit, M. Track & Field; May 14 – Spencer Johnson, M. Tennis
Four Bulldogs Earn 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field All-Region Honors
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NEW ORLEANS, La. – All Region honors for the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the conclusion of the regular season. Top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned […]
NEW ORLEANS, La. – All Region honors for the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the conclusion of the regular season. Top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region honors, in addition to each of the members of a top-3 ranked relay team. Data is compiled based on regional TFRI.
The 2025 season proved to be a remarkable one for the Bulldogs, as four standout athletes earned All-Region honors for their performances on the track and in the field.
Jackson Hayward made an immediate impact in his debut season, securing a spot on the 2025 All-Region team in the 200-meter dash. Hayward’s standout moment came at the CUAA Alumni Legacy Meet, where he posted a personal-best time of 21.51 seconds. His impressive performance not only earned him All-Region recognition but also marked him as one of the top sprinters in the region.
“Jackson Hayward came in as a freshman and instantly made an impact”, said Interim Head Coach Kaylie Laskody. “Through injuries he was able to drop a 21.51 in his 200 this outdoor season”.
Cameron Overmyer continued to build on his already stellar career by being named to the All-Region team in the pole vault. Overmyer finished second at the 2025 MIAA Outdoor Championships with a vault of 4.26m (13-11.75), earning Second Team All-MIAA honors. His personal-best mark of 4.75m (15-7), set at the 2024 MIAA Championships, ranks him second all-time in program history.
“Cameron Overmyer is a senior who took over pole vault in the conference right from the start of his freshman year”. “He placed 2nd at outdoor conference in his senior season and ended his last year with a mark of 4.65m (15-3)”.
KJ Scott earned All-Region honors in the discus after recording a personal-best throw of 48.86m (160-4), which ranked him fourth in the region and second all-time in program history. At the 2025 MIAA Outdoor Championships, Scott displayed his versatility, finishing ninth in the discus, 10th in the hammer throw, and 18th in the shot put.
“KJ Scott shot up the top-10 record board in discus to second with a throw of 48.86m (160’4″) in his junior season”, said Interim Head Coach Kaylie Laskody. “That mark also put him top 50 in the nation at 43rd and should see some improvement as we head into next season”.
Alysia Townsend had a historic first season as a Bulldog, earning All-Region honors and several entries in the program’s record books. Townsend set a new all-time school record in the long jump with a leap of 5.79m (19-0). She also ranks second all-time in the 100-meter dash (12.41 seconds), fourth in the 200-meter dash (26.20 seconds), and second in the 400-meter hurdles (1:01.92). Her outstanding performances at the MIAA Championships earned her All-MIAA honors in the high jump, long jump, and 100-meter dash, and ultimately led to her being named the MIAA Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.
“Alysia Townsend dominated this outdoor season, said Interim Head Coach Kaylie Laskody. “Taking home two first place medals at conference while also jumping a record-breaking long jump with 19’0 and ended the season being 24th in the nation as just a freshman and being named MIAA Women’s Field Athlete of the Year is a big accomplishment for anyone and especially as a freshman”.
Dominant first season for DNA Volleyball Girls | Sports
Naples based DNA Volleyball, originally an all-boys club, added a girls team this season. The new team has made a remarkable debut. In their first year, DNA Volleyball’s girls team has not just competed; they have dominated, medaling in all but one tournament. “This team by far stands out out of a lot of the […]
Naples based DNA Volleyball, originally an all-boys club, added a girls team this season. The new team has made a remarkable debut.
In their first year, DNA Volleyball’s girls team has not just competed; they have dominated, medaling in all but one tournament.
“This team by far stands out out of a lot of the teams that I have coached, just because their chemistry is insane,” said Priscilla Medal, DNA Volleyball Girls Head Coach. “I mean, they’ve been together since they were very little, and now up to this point, they had a rough season last year, but now this year, they’re just showing up and showing out.”
The team’s bond is driving their outstanding season after joining the new club.
“It’s honestly just the atmosphere. These girls, even in their losses, show such great growth, and they just have great mentality. And that’s what a great athlete is. It’s just having that great mentality to push through all the games, all the practices, and they’re the type of girls that want that extra rep, and that makes a huge difference.”
The DNA girls boast a 45-12 record and an 80% win rate. For many of these 15-year-olds, the journey is just beginning.
“It’s very impactful for them, because these girls, as they’re getting older, they are going to be coming across college recruits and…showing up all the time and giving more than 100% effort, it’s really going to show up and give them some success in the future.”
As the season winds down, the growth on and off the court is evident.
“I think their spirits were maybe not expecting to win as much as they have this whole season, but they’ve definitely led themselves with a lot of confidence, and they’re very humble.”
The success seems to be just beginning for DNA’s rising stars. The team has one more tournament this weekend before competing at AAU Nationals next month.
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana track and field turns its sights to the national stage as four qualified athletes will compete across four events at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Pueblo, Colorado. Bryn Greenwaldt, Ryan Hartman, Andrew Martens and Kylee Sallee will all […]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana track and field turns its sights to the national stage as four qualified athletes will compete across four events at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Pueblo, Colorado.
Bryn Greenwaldt, Ryan Hartman, Andrew Martens and Kylee Sallee will all represent AU at the national meet, with action set to last from Thursday May 22 to Saturday, May 24 at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
Complete action can be found at GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.
THE RUNDOWN
After clearing a season-best height of 5-08.00 at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month, Bryn Greenwaldt earned her bid to the national meet. Her showing gave her the top spot on the podium for the gold medal and the event title, securing yet another honor in her storied career. She finished in the top three at five different meets this season, highlighted by three event crowns.
Ryan Hartman has continued to light it up in his final season with Augustana track and field, earning yet another postseason bid this athletic year. He was recently named the NSIC Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year—just the fourth in program history—after collecting two conference championship titles. With four meets worth of competition under his belt this season, Hartman has earned four first-place finishes while clocking two PRs at the Bryan Clay Invitational in the 1500-meter (3:43.00) and 5000-meter (13:39.57) runs.
Senior hurdler Andrew Martens will head to the NCAA Championship meet after a strong showing at the conference meet earlier this month. He cruised to first place and the top of the podium in the 110-meter hurdles while taking fourth in the 400-meter hurdles. His qualifying time was marked in the event final at the NSIC meet, which was the third time he broke sub-14 this season.
Rounding out the AU qualifiers is Kylee Sallee, whose personal best earlier this season propelled her all the way to an NCAA qualification. Her mark of 20-01.50 broke the Augustana school record in the long jump at the Maverick Open while giving Sallee a third-place finish. She collected five top-five finishes in the long jump throughout the season, including a runner-up finish in the event at the NSIC meet while winning the heptathlon title.
VIKING QUALIFIERS (NCAA DII Performance Rankings as of 5/21)
5. Ryan Hartman (5000-Meter Run, 13:39.57)
9. Andrew Martens (110-Meter Hurdles, 13.76)
T-10. Bryn Greenwaldt (High Jump, 5-08.00, 1.73m)
T-14. Kylee Salee (Long Jump, 20-01.50, 6.13m)
AUGUSTANA SCHEDULE AT NCAA DII CHAMPIONSHIPS Thursday, May 22
3:30 p.m. CT – Women’s Long Jump (Sallee)
Friday, May 23
5:45 p.m. CT – Women’s High Jump (Greenwaldt)
7:55 p.m. CT – Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles Prelim (Martens)
Saturday, May 23
7:10 p.m. CT – Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles Final (Martens)
9:30 p.m. CT – Men’s 5000-Meter Run (Hartman)
Harrison boys volleyball wins third straight Hudson County title
Harrison has rarely found itself in a position where it was trailing during this boys volleyball season. During Saturday’s Hudson County Tournament final, the Blue Tide showed the poise and composure needed to recover such situations and emerge as champions. Trailing late in the first set, Harrison not only rallied to take the opening set, […]
Harrison has rarely found itself in a position where it was trailing during this boys volleyball season.
During Saturday’s Hudson County Tournament final, the Blue Tide showed the poise and composure needed to recover such situations and emerge as champions.
Trailing late in the first set, Harrison not only rallied to take the opening set, but built upon that run to produce a dominant second set as it defeated Hudson Catholic, 25-23, 25-15 to win a third consecutive county title at County Prep High School in Jersey City.
“There’s been more than a couple of occasions where we’ve been down by a few points late in sets and almost every single time they find a way to come back and win it,” Harrison head coach Anthony Sabia said, citing comebacks from set point against Weehawken, Livingston and most recently in the Hudson County semifinals against North Bergen. “They find their best volleyball and they play their cleanest volleyball and they find a way to lock in in those tight moments. As great as it would be for everything to go smoothly, it’s nice to know that you have that in your back pocket when you need it.”
Harrison trailed 22-18 before scoring seven of the final eight points to take the first set, a stretch that started with a Jonathan Petrillo kill and followed by a trio of Hudson Catholic faults to tie it at 22. The Hawks, making their second-trip to the final, regained the lead on an Alan Santiago kill. Alattim DeLeon’s kill tied it once again for the Blue Tide at 23-all, then recorded a block to take the lead before Jeremy Rivera’s kill gave Harrison the first set.
Using the momentum from the end of the first, Harrison opened the second set with five-straight points and opened a quick 9-2 lead which featured three Petrillo kills, a kill from DeLeon and aces by Yamil Espinoza and Petrillo.
“We just played lockdown defense and made no mistakes off our hands,” said Sabia. “(On the Hudson Catholic side) you could see the nerves and the frustration on their faces and I’m like we’re fine. I’ve seen this story a bunch of times this year, winning the set.
“We were on a tear to start the second set and I knew we were fine.”
Petrillo, who finished with a team-high nine kills, would deliver the clinching point for Harrison’s fifth overall county title. DeLeon added seven kills with two blocks and Rivera had two kills to go with 19 assists. Espinoza had three kills with six digs while Brayan Andrade contributed a team-best eight digs.
In total, seven different players recorded at least one kill in the win, a testament to the depth of this year’s roster.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever had a team where we have as much faith and trust in the bench,” Sabia said. “Even going back to when we were as good as we were 10 years ago, we were great, but we had a really short bench, so everyone had to be on all the time. I think the depth of this team is maybe unmatched.”
Sabia had a front row view for those other county championship teams as the assistant coach under Nick Landy. This winter saw Landy step down with Sabia moving over to head coach and at the time of the move both coaches said little was likely to change. That proved true as another county title was coming to Harrison.
“They were aware of the moment (to potentially three-peat as champions). They were aware of what they had the ability to potentially accomplish and they were really excited,” said Sabia. “They’re very proud to carry on the legacy of the teams from the last two years and even the teams in the past. They’re happy to add to the program’s history, so I know it’s special to them.”
Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)
Harrison has rarely found itself in a position where it was trailing during this boys volleyball season.
