Indiana University Athletics
Trusting His Stuff – Ty Bothwell Goes On The Attack
5/26/2022 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ty Bothwell has found his pitching groove.
Big Ten tourney teams beware, perhaps starting with top-seed Maryland on Wednesday.
Bothwell is pitching to his potential, with nine straight hitless innings against Minnesota and hard-hitting Iowa and has his first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award to prove it.
"It's his confidence and conviction," head coach Jeff Mercer says about Bothwell's transformation from early season struggles to late-season dominator.
As he put it after watching the left-hander toss seven hitless innings against Minnesota, "He was awesome."
This is what the fourth-year coach expected whenever Bothwell grew into his college role.
With three college seasons on his resume, he's grown in every sense of that word.
Case in point -- the improved fastball velocity (up from the mid-80s to mid-90s in miles per hour) and his 50-pound weight gain since his freshman year.
Mercer knows what this can mean moving forward in the double-elimination Big Ten tourney at Omaha, Nebraska.
Eighth-seeded IU is 25-30 overall, 10-14 in conference action. Tenth-ranked Maryland, which has won seven straight games, is 44-10 overall, 18-5 in the Big Ten.
"I'm so happy for Ty," Mercer says. "The guys are so happy for Ty."
Happiness surfaced in a big way after the Minnesota victory.
"That was why you saw such positive emotion," Mercer adds. "We were so supportive of him from where he was at the beginning of the year. To give that kind of terrific performance, what a terrific outing."
Terrific starts, Mercer says, come by throwing strikes.
"He's attacking with the fastball. He's in that middle to premium velocity that has good properties, and then throwing that good, hard breaking ball for a strike. When he does that, he's difficult to manage."
Bothwell doesn't wow with size. He's listed at 5-foor-10 and 200 pounds, which is 50 pounds more than when he arrived following a dominating high school career at Boone Grove High School in northwestern Indiana that included a state-recording tying two perfect games and a state record five no-hitters in a season.
The weight and strength gain helped improve his velocity and control, and the confidence that goes with it.
"(My velocity) has popped up a little," Bothwell says. "I can't explain how it happened.
"It has something to do with putting on 50 pounds since my freshman year and trusting in the throwing program to help me get as far as I can velocity wise."
Bothwell has been a beast in Big Ten play with a 2-0 record and a 1.29 earned run average. He has 25 strikeouts in 21 innings.
Overall he's 3-2 with a team-leading 4.03 ERA.
"Not until the last month or so could I believe in myself to control (the velocity)," he says. "In the beginning of the season, I was having control trouble. At some point, I figured I might as well do what I can, stay in the zone and trust my stuff more.
"What helped me is knowing I have guys behind me who believe in me."
And yet, early on, Bothwell made belief difficult.
In his first two appearances of the season -- two-thirds of an inning against Clemson and 1.2 innings against Stanford -- he allowed six hits and six runs, walked four and had an abysmal earned run average of 15.43.
In his first six appearances, Bothwell allowed 13 runs (11 earned) over 6 2/3 innings.
Some coaches might have benched him.
Mercer kept pitching him.
"I believe in him," Mercer says.
When you coach, you sometimes project what isn't there now into what could be with the proper work, resolve and dedication.
Bothwell, whose parents once competed in the International Professional Rodeo Association, showed all of that, and more.
His fastball turned overpowering. Mixed with a nasty curveball and impressive control, and you have the makings of a big-time pitcher.
Everything peaked against Minnesota. He struck out eight and walked three in his best performance of the season. He also threw a career-high 111 pitches.
He added six strikeouts in two hitless innings at Iowa, although he did give up a run with three walks and a wild pitch.
"A ton of it is his confidence and his belief to attack with his fastball," Mercer says. "His breaking ball has always been good. Now he has the confidence to throw (the fastball) with conviction and to land it and put it away.
"He's from 86 mph to 96 mph. When he's good, he's 90 to 93 mph, and really attacking with his fastball. It has some unique properties to it. It generates a ton of swing and miss.
"When he's confident and downhill attacking with it, it's a difficult pitch to handle for anybody."
Bothwell's seven innings against Minnesota were two more than he'd ever pitched in a college game. The way he was shutting down the Gophers, and with the pitching staff under duress because the previous day's weather turned Sunday into a doubleheader, Mercer wasn't about to pull him.
"My adrenaline was pumping through," Bothwell says, "especially in the later innings when you see they still have a 0 on the scoreboard. I wanted to do what I could for the team. I wasn't expecting to go as far as I did, but I'm glad I did it."
So is Mercer, who was running out of pitching options for Sunday's second game.
"What it did for us was give us a chance in the second game," he says. "It let us preserve the bullpen and give us a shot late."
Adds Bothwell: "I was trying to do what I could for the guys who threw after me in the next game. The more arms we have, the better. I wanted to go as long as I could."
Bothwell was quick to credit IU's defense, especially catcher Pete Serruto.
"They were being brick walls behind me," Bothwell says, "and with Pete being my brick wall behind the plate and doing his job, that's what allowed us to do this.
"It wasn't about me. It was about everybody out there. I couldn't have done it without my teammates."
As for his success in pitching so well for so long, "Usually I have been only one time through the order, but whatever was working, was working. I don't know what else to say."
Mercer knew what to say.
"He was awesome."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ty Bothwell has found his pitching groove.
Big Ten tourney teams beware, perhaps starting with top-seed Maryland on Wednesday.
Bothwell is pitching to his potential, with nine straight hitless innings against Minnesota and hard-hitting Iowa and has his first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award to prove it.
"It's his confidence and conviction," head coach Jeff Mercer says about Bothwell's transformation from early season struggles to late-season dominator.
As he put it after watching the left-hander toss seven hitless innings against Minnesota, "He was awesome."
This is what the fourth-year coach expected whenever Bothwell grew into his college role.
With three college seasons on his resume, he's grown in every sense of that word.
Case in point -- the improved fastball velocity (up from the mid-80s to mid-90s in miles per hour) and his 50-pound weight gain since his freshman year.
Mercer knows what this can mean moving forward in the double-elimination Big Ten tourney at Omaha, Nebraska.
Eighth-seeded IU is 25-30 overall, 10-14 in conference action. Tenth-ranked Maryland, which has won seven straight games, is 44-10 overall, 18-5 in the Big Ten.
"I'm so happy for Ty," Mercer says. "The guys are so happy for Ty."
Happiness surfaced in a big way after the Minnesota victory.
"That was why you saw such positive emotion," Mercer adds. "We were so supportive of him from where he was at the beginning of the year. To give that kind of terrific performance, what a terrific outing."
Terrific starts, Mercer says, come by throwing strikes.
"He's attacking with the fastball. He's in that middle to premium velocity that has good properties, and then throwing that good, hard breaking ball for a strike. When he does that, he's difficult to manage."
Bothwell doesn't wow with size. He's listed at 5-foor-10 and 200 pounds, which is 50 pounds more than when he arrived following a dominating high school career at Boone Grove High School in northwestern Indiana that included a state-recording tying two perfect games and a state record five no-hitters in a season.
The weight and strength gain helped improve his velocity and control, and the confidence that goes with it.
"(My velocity) has popped up a little," Bothwell says. "I can't explain how it happened.
"It has something to do with putting on 50 pounds since my freshman year and trusting in the throwing program to help me get as far as I can velocity wise."
Bothwell has been a beast in Big Ten play with a 2-0 record and a 1.29 earned run average. He has 25 strikeouts in 21 innings.
Overall he's 3-2 with a team-leading 4.03 ERA.
"Not until the last month or so could I believe in myself to control (the velocity)," he says. "In the beginning of the season, I was having control trouble. At some point, I figured I might as well do what I can, stay in the zone and trust my stuff more.
"What helped me is knowing I have guys behind me who believe in me."
And yet, early on, Bothwell made belief difficult.
In his first two appearances of the season -- two-thirds of an inning against Clemson and 1.2 innings against Stanford -- he allowed six hits and six runs, walked four and had an abysmal earned run average of 15.43.
In his first six appearances, Bothwell allowed 13 runs (11 earned) over 6 2/3 innings.
Some coaches might have benched him.
Mercer kept pitching him.
"I believe in him," Mercer says.
When you coach, you sometimes project what isn't there now into what could be with the proper work, resolve and dedication.
Bothwell, whose parents once competed in the International Professional Rodeo Association, showed all of that, and more.
His fastball turned overpowering. Mixed with a nasty curveball and impressive control, and you have the makings of a big-time pitcher.
Everything peaked against Minnesota. He struck out eight and walked three in his best performance of the season. He also threw a career-high 111 pitches.
He added six strikeouts in two hitless innings at Iowa, although he did give up a run with three walks and a wild pitch.
"A ton of it is his confidence and his belief to attack with his fastball," Mercer says. "His breaking ball has always been good. Now he has the confidence to throw (the fastball) with conviction and to land it and put it away.
"He's from 86 mph to 96 mph. When he's good, he's 90 to 93 mph, and really attacking with his fastball. It has some unique properties to it. It generates a ton of swing and miss.
"When he's confident and downhill attacking with it, it's a difficult pitch to handle for anybody."
Bothwell's seven innings against Minnesota were two more than he'd ever pitched in a college game. The way he was shutting down the Gophers, and with the pitching staff under duress because the previous day's weather turned Sunday into a doubleheader, Mercer wasn't about to pull him.
"My adrenaline was pumping through," Bothwell says, "especially in the later innings when you see they still have a 0 on the scoreboard. I wanted to do what I could for the team. I wasn't expecting to go as far as I did, but I'm glad I did it."
So is Mercer, who was running out of pitching options for Sunday's second game.
"What it did for us was give us a chance in the second game," he says. "It let us preserve the bullpen and give us a shot late."
Adds Bothwell: "I was trying to do what I could for the guys who threw after me in the next game. The more arms we have, the better. I wanted to go as long as I could."
Bothwell was quick to credit IU's defense, especially catcher Pete Serruto.
"They were being brick walls behind me," Bothwell says, "and with Pete being my brick wall behind the plate and doing his job, that's what allowed us to do this.
"It wasn't about me. It was about everybody out there. I couldn't have done it without my teammates."
As for his success in pitching so well for so long, "Usually I have been only one time through the order, but whatever was working, was working. I don't know what else to say."
Mercer knew what to say.
"He was awesome."
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ BaseballSunday, February 22
Saturday, February 21
Friday, February 20
Wednesday, May 21