The University of Virginia baseball team's youth movement has been met with mixed results throughout the season. The bullpen, anchored by sophomore Casey Lambert and freshman Sean Doolittle, has been no different.
Lambert has been an effective fireman for almost two years now but saw Saturday's 9th inning at Clemson get away from him as Virginia fell 3-2.
As a freshman in 2004, Lambert's eight saves tied the single season record for most saves in a season. In 28 relief appearances, Lambert notched a stellar 2.61 earned run average and held opposing hitters to a .218 batting average.
Seeking to duplicate his success as a freshman, Lambert has picked up where he left off, already recording his eighth save of the season April 8. Well on his way to claiming the single season save record all to his own, Lambert has been nearly unhittable this year. In 16 relief appearances, the Harrisonburg, Va. native has tallied a 2.19 earned run average to go along with an average of over one strikeout per inning. Most importantly, Lambert has allowed only one extra base hit and no home runs.
Closers usually have a very limited margin of error though, and Lambert's appearance against Clemson last Saturday was indicative of that fact. The Tigers jumped on Virginia's closer for a leadoff single and ended up picking up four hits and two runs to win the game in dramatic fashion. April 3, North Carolina broke open a 2-2 tie in the ninth with a bases-loaded single off Lambert. Despite these relative struggles in April, Lambert has inspired complete confidence in coach Brian O'Connor.
"Casey Lambert is one of the best closers in the country," O'Connor said. "He's been the guy that we've counted on for a year and a half here."
A setup man's job of bridging the gap between the starting pitcher and the closer is no easy task either, but Doolittle has excelled in the role early in his collegiate career. In 10 relief appearances, Doolittle has thrown 18 innings and assembled a lights-out 2.00 earned run average while striking out 12.5 batters per nine innings. These kinds of numbers rarely are found in the stat lines of a freshman setup man, but Doolittle feels right at home with the job.
"I've gotten very comfortable out of the bullpen when [O'Connor] needs me," Doolittle said. "It makes me comfortable to know that he has the confidence to put me in the game in those situations."
Doolittle also splits time as the Cavaliers' starting first baseman and one of the offensive leaders, but his dominance on the mound has propelled him to become one of the most versatile and integral players on the team.
Still standing 2.5 games out of the all-important 7th seed of the ACC championship, Virginia will need to put it all together down the stretch and eliminate the recent problems that have plagued the team. Fortunately, with Doolittle in the eighth and Lambert in the ninth, Cavaliers fans can rest assured that a Virginia lead late in the game is safe.
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