Pressure mounts for veteran pitcher

By: Jonathan Ramos/ Sports Director
The Golden Panthers were used to the kind of performance they got when Corey Polizzano left the mound after giving up two runs in the seventh inning of a 7-6 win against Troy on March 20. Polizzano left with the game tied at five, but it was a quality outing for the veteran pitcher nonetheless.
Seven innings. Four earned runs allowed on six hits. Three walks. Five strikeouts.
The line had Polizzano written all over it. FIU is usually okay with that, but Polizzano usually isn’t.
“Corey’s a kid that’s going to give his heart and soul every single time he goes out there. That’s what he did tonight. That’s what you ask of starting pitchers,” FIU pitching coach Sean Allen said. “The great thing about Corey is that if you ask him if he’s happy, he’s not happy. He knew going out there in the seventh it was his ball game to win.”
When questioned by reporters after the game, Polizzano followed the script Allen described.
“I felt alright,” the 5-foot-9 lefty said with a sigh. “Coming out you know I’m going to be mad, letting up five runs. I felt good, just had some dumb mistakes.”

#BIG ROLE#

One reason Polizzano knows he must improve this season is that he is being asked to assume the largest role he has had in his career. The grizzled senior is now the second starter in the weekend rotation, sandwiched between staff ace Scott Rembisz and inexperienced Aaron Arboleya. In three seasons, Polizzano has never had an earned run average (ERA) under six, numbers that don’t sit well with him.
“That’s what I’ve been shooting for since I’ve been a freshman here,” Polizzano said after his second start of the season, when his ERA stood at an impressive 3.48. “I have had three years with an ERA above six, and that’s not good enough for me right now.”
“I feel like those numbers don’t relate to how I pitch, though. I feel like I pitch better than that. I might have one or two bad starts, but I feel like I’ve been able to get our teams into the late innings. The numbers are numbers.”
The numbers have recently dipped again, however. After a promising start to this campaign, one in which he opened the season by holding Maryland scoreless in six innings, the senior was pulled in his third start after allowing six runs to Rutgers in 3.1 innings on March 13, and he recently gave up the lead against Troy on Saturday.
Polizzano says that the slip is attributed to focus issues.
“I just have to focus more. That one inning seems to always get me. I have to get rid of that inning. At least keep it to one run, not three.”
The former Miami Southridge high standout’s deck of pitches include a fastball, changeup, curveball, and a cutter with good control. The most improved pitch is the changeup, according to Polizzano, while the fastball remains a work in progress.
The biggest adjustment Polizzano has made is a delivery one though. Roughly two weeks before the season opener, Allen approached Polizzano and proposed a change. The difference is Polizzano now brings his windup down to his knees to give him more rhythm on the mound.
“Since then I have had so much better rhythm. I used to keep my hands up, every time,” he said. “ Now he told me ‘try dropping your hands when you step back to get more rhythm with your arms.’”
Added Allen: “The thing that has held him back is he kind of hurts himself with walks and hit-by-pitches. He still has a tendency to give up the big inning and that’s what we have tried to concentrate on. He will get up in the zone a little bit, so we started his hands with a little bit more rhythm so he can fill his delivery and his release point.”
Polizzano say’s his rhythm is fine, but focus remains a factor.

#ROSTER MOVES#

The current situation is not exactly what FIU head coach Turtle Thomas had in my mind when last season ended, but ace and senior-to-be Tom Ebert was drafted in the MLB first year player draft. Although that wasn’t surprising, the Golden Panthers lost talented right-hander Miguel Mejia to the Detroit Tigers organization after an impressive summer league performance.
The offseason shuffle left Polizzano pitching on Saturdays, the usual slot for No. 2 starters.
“It doesn’t really matter who goes where or who stays,” Polizzano said. “Starting pitching has always been a problem here, and we feel like we have to step our games up no matter if Tom or Miguel stayed.”
The problem is resurfacing this season, as the Golden Panthers are leading the Sun Belt conference in hitting with a .342 average, but are eighth in the SBC in staff ERA, and are one of three teams allowing opponents to a .300 batting average.
That is expected to improve, and much of the expectations are on the shoulders of the Golden Panther’s most seasoned pitcher.
Polizzano has the overwhelming confidence of his team.
“Corey is a kid that whether you pitch him on Friday, Tuesday, Wednesday, out of the bullpen, he doesn’t care,” Allen said. “He’s a great teammate, he pushes other guys and that’s why he’s one of our team captains. He understands the importance of his role. Corey is only going to pitch probably another eight weeks, and that’s why I think every time he goes out he lays it all on the line because baseball is going to be over.”
The FIU lineup has been able to carry the team to a solid record, but the pitching will likely need to trend upward for the Golden Panthers to win the SBC and beyond. If the team is to take that step, Polizzano will be a big part of it as one of the most important pieces on the team.
“It’s all focus to me. Once I hit a guy I’m like ‘Oh, crap here we go again’,” he said.
“I have to stop. I’m a senior. I just need to pitch the way I usually do.”