Photo: Frankie Debari
BY: KYLE MAIER, SPORTS EDITOR
With over six pitchers reportedly throwing over 90 miles per hour this fall, the St. Bonaventure University baseball team has a versatile pitching attack led by 2025 Major League Baseball draft hopeful Michael Salina.
Salina, a junior right-handed pitcher in his second season with the Bonnies, clocked a 102 mph pitch in a scrimmage against Penn State in September.
Following Bonaventure’s scout day last week, where representatives from 14 MLB teams attended, Salina has aspirations to grace the mound in the majors, he said.
“Honestly, after the spring, my goal is to get drafted this summer,” said Salina. “It’s been a good journey. I’ve heard a lot of good feedback. I hope to have a good spring and get ready for summer when the draft comes around, and hopefully, my name gets called.”
Excited by the buzz around Salina, head coach Jason Rathbun crowned him the rotation’s ace.
“Michael’s our most professional-projected pitcher we have,” said Rathbun. “He was our ace last year, and coming into this year, that stays the same. Hopefully, he can put together a year statistically that drives up his draft stock. The attention he’s been getting is exciting.”
With several SBU pitchers throwing a multitude of different pitches and fast speeds at scout day, Rathbun highlighted the depth and diversity of his bullpen.
“I tried to put together a staff that could feature some guys who look different,” said Rathbun. “One thing I’ve liked so far about our pitching staff is that a lot of these guys don’t play the same, which is what you want. Depth on the mound is definitely a strength for us this year.”
Two pitchers heavily showcased on the team’s X (formerly Twitter) account during scout day included sophomore right-handed pitcher James Capellupo and junior left-handed pitcher Tom Wilkie.
Capellupo, a transfer from UMass Lowell, developed a set of cutters into his repertoire to generate more strikes, he said.
“My main breaking pitch in high school was the slurve,” said Capellupo. “Then, I got more into chasing swings and misses with the cuttery-type pitches. I have a traditional cutter in the high 80s, and a ‘slutter’ combination in the low 80s, which is a good swing or miss pitch.”
A “slurve” pitch is a combination of a slider and a curveball. A “slutter” pitch, popularized by MLB pitcher Tyler Glasnow, is a combination of a cutter and slider.
Capellupo said his goal is to be a starter this upcoming season.
“I’m looking to be a starter this year; that’s the expectation,” said Capellupo. “So with that obviously, you want to keep your pitch count low to an extent and sweep contact.”
As a left-hander, Wilkie approaches the game ferociously, he said.
“I’d definitely call my playstyle on the mound an aggressive one,” said Wilkie. “I hate pitching around the hitter and feel that attacking them with my best stuff early gives me the best shot at dominating. I am sinker/slider dominant, with a changeup I can flash at any time to keep hitters’ timing off.”
The coaching staff will increasingly use analytics to enhance pitching performances, said Rathbun.
“[Pitching] is where analytics come into play,” said Rathbun. “You try to find the other team’s weaknesses and see how you match up with them and try to find the right mix on the mound to get it done.”
With the regular season still four months away, Wilkie said Bonaventure’s arms will stay sharp throughout the winter through dedication.
“To stay locked in throughout the offseason, I ask myself ‘What can I do today to make me 1% better’,” said Wilkie. “Our whole team feels that way. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes hard work now to reap the benefits of the future.”
maierkj22@bonaventure.edu
