The Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team is having trouble making contact.
The Wolf Pack is striking out an average of 7.9 times a game this season after 14 games (8-6). The Pack whiffed an alarming total of 35 times this past weekend in three games at Cal State Bakersfield, losing two of the games.
The Pack struck out 13 times each on Friday and Sunday in the two losses and nine times in a 1-0 victory on Saturday.
The 6-5 loss on Sunday was the Pack's most frustrating as far as putting the ball in play was concerned. Over a stretch of 13 consecutive hitters, from the final out of the second inning through the sixth inning, the Pack went 0-for-13 with nine strikeouts. The Pack put the ball in play just four times over those 4.1 innings as they turned a 4-0 lead into a 6-5 defeat.
At a rate of 7.9 times a game, the Pack will strike out over 400 times in a season for the first time since 2004. The 7.9 strikeouts per game is the team's highest whiff rate since it fanned 8.2 times a game in 2002. This year's Pack team has also struck out once every 4.5 at-bats, the highest rate since the 2002 team fanned once every 4.3 at-bats.
That 2002 team has the highest KO rate of any Pack team in the last 30 seasons. That team had Tony Cappuccilli, who fanned once every 3.3 at-bats, Jeff Tolotti, who fanned once every 3.6 at-bats, Mike Hass (3.6), Chris Dickerson (3.5), JaRell McIntyyre (3.8), Carlos Madrid (3.2), Curtis Wickwire (2.4, 20 Ks in 48 ABs) and Erick Streelman (2.4, 23 Ks in 56 ABs).
The Wolf Pack has had teams that struck out often in the past. The Pack has had six teams, for example, that fanned over 400 times in a season. All six came between 1997-2004. Two of those teams (1997, 1999) qualified for a NCAA Regional and all six of them hit 72 or more home runs.
This year's team has hit just 11 home runs so far and is on a pace to finish with
45.
The Wolf Pack did not have a team that struck out more than an average of 5.8 times a game from 1980 through 1994. Since 1995, however, every Pack team has fanned at least 5.9 times a game.
Brian Barnett leads the Pack this season with 15 strikeouts followed by Kevin Rodland (14). Both players are on pace to strike out more than 50 times this season. For Rodland, it would be his third consecutive year of 50-plus strikeouts, a Pack record since 1980.
In the past 30 years, a Pack player has fanned 50 or more times in a year just 11 times.
Just one player (Brent Vigil with 50 in 1989) did it from 1980 through 1996. The other 10 have all come in the last 13 seasons: Lyle Overbay (54 in 1997), Tony Cappuccilli (50 in 2001 and 63 in 2003), Mike Hass (52 in 2002), Chris Gimenez (59 in 2004), Erick Streelman (61 in 2004), Shawn Scobee (60 in 2005), Rodland (51 in 2008, 54 in 2009) and Travis Simas (50 in 2009).
Which is the best Pack team in the past 30 seasons as far as putting the ball in play is concerned? The 1982 team struck out an average of just 3.8 times a game and once every 9.0 at-bats. That team finished 25-25 and was led by Jim Stassi (just one strikeout every 27.3 at-bats) and Don Groh (one every 16.6 ABs).
Stassi, the father of current Pack player Brock Stassi, is one of the toughest hitters to strikeout in Pack history. In two seasons at Nevada (1881 and 1982) Stassi fanned just 17 times in 420 at bats, or one strikeout every 24.7 at-bats.
LOST WEEKEND: The Wolf Pack scored just 14 runs in the three games against Bakersfield. Rodland was 1-for-9 and Shaun Kort was 1-for-13 but no Pack player had an outstanding weekend with the bat. Westley Moss was 3-for-12, Stassi was 3-for-10, Barnett was 3-for-13 and Nick Leid was 3-for-11.
RASNER TAKES BIG STEP: Carson City's Jesse Rasner turned in a solid six-inning performance for the Pack on Friday.
The 6-foot-3 senior allowed just five hits and two earned runs in the 13-8 loss. He struck out three and walked two.
Rasner has now appeared in four games this year with a 1-0 record and 3.60 earned run average in 10 innings.
Rasner, the cousin of former Wolf Pack pitcher Darrell Rasner and the brother of former Wolf Pack recruit Jake Rasner, struggled last year, allowing 25 hits in 16.1 innings and finishing with a 8.82 ERA in 11 games.
ROLLERCOASTER RIDE FOR CLOSERS: The Pack closers -- Jeremy Cole and Tyler Graham -- had an up and down series against Bakersfield.
Graham, who lost two games, allowed four earned runs and four hits in one inning on Friday. He pitched much better on Sunday, though, allowing one earned run in two innings while striking out three in picking up the loss.
Cole was excellent in Saturday's 1-0 victory. The 6-foot junior didn't allow a hit or walk in his two-inning save in relief of Stassi.
GARCIA BATTLING SORE ARM: Wolf Pack senior left-hander Chris Garcia did not make his scheduled start this weekend. Garcia came away with a sore arm after his bullpen session on Thursday.
Garcia has been strong this year with a 2.20 ERA and 1-0 record in three starts.
The Reed High graduate could return to the rotation in this weekend's four-game series at Oregon starting on Friday.
THE WEEK, MONTH AHEAD: The Wolf Pack will host Sonoma State on Tuesday and San Francisco on Wednesday. Both games begin at 2 p.m. and can be heard on 630-AM.
The Pack will then head to Oregon on Friday for a four-game set against the Ducks and former Pack shortstop and assistant coach Jay Uhlman. Uhlman is an Oregon assistant coach.
The Wolf Pack's longest homestand of the season will be March 26-April 5 with eight games at Peccole park against UC Irvine (March 26-28), UNLV (March 30), Seattle (April 1-3) and UC Davis (April 5).
