Mason Lunzman makes an impact on the mound and at the plate
Jul. 4—JAMESTOWN — One of the most reliable pitchers in the Jamestown Eagles rotation is Mason Lunzman. Lunzman is the only pitcher on the staff to get a win and has the fourth-lowest ERA on the team with a 3.11 ERA in 18 innings.
"Right now he's the ace of our team," Eagles head coach Sam Joseph said. "He's contributing a lot, throwing strikes and getting batters out and keeping us in games."
This season, Lunzman has stranded 17 runners on base. He has used a mix of pitches including what he calls his best two pitches, his 4-seam fastball and his 2-seam fastball that go along with his complementary pitches of a changeup, a curveball and a slider.
Lunzman said his ability to get out of trouble on the mound is down to staying locked in.
"Staying focused and not really worrying too much about those runners on base and just knowing that you have to keep throwing strikes and your teammates will play for you," Lunzman said.
Lunzman says the hard work that he and his teammates have put in has contributed to his success on the mound. Joseph credits Lunzman's success to his lack of fear and ability to go after batters.
"He's getting up there, he's challenging hitters and making sure he gets outs using his defense," Joseph said. "Right now, he's a confident kid and he goes out there and proves it every day."
Lunzman said the confidence that his coach has seen in him comes from his defense behind him.
Lunzman's success has not only come on the bump, he has also seen improvements at the plate, raising his average from .269 during the spring season with the Jamestown Blue Jays to .293 with the Eagles.
"I've been putting in the work, getting down to the field and hitting whenever I can and at practice taking it a lot more seriously," Lunzman said. "Coach Sam has been helping everybody out, especially me and some of the other guys to help our swings at the plate."
Lunzman has continued to be patient at the plate, drawing 12 walks for the Blue Jays and 10 for the Eagles. He credits that his confidence in being able to drive the ball when he gets the right pitch.
From a coach's point of view, Joseph said Lunzman has been impactful no matter where he is playing on the field thanks to his speed. Lunzman's speed has played a big role as he has stolen eight bases and has yet to be caught, with the next closest base stealers on the team being Connor Hoyt and Max Fronk with two each.
"He sets the tone at the plate because he's our leadoff (hitter)," Joseph said. "When he's not pitching, he's in center field running down baseballs. He's also big on the defensive side when he's not pitching."
As Lunzman looks ahead to the last six games of the season, he said he wants to continue to do what he has been doing through the first 17 games of the season.
"Really just try to keep the emotions at a level point and keep working hard," Lunzman said.
