Chemistry, pitching push Piedmont Pride to top of SCBL standings

The Piedmont Pride has raced out to a 19-4 record in its first season of Southern Collegiate Baseball League play, and quality pitching is a big reason why.

Starters Zack Kamerman and Jared Waldhoff have been “shoving” as baseball experts like to say. The pair are a combined 6-0 with 51 strikeouts, 15 walks and just seven earned runs in 48 innings of work on the mound.

“They’ve certainly been the two most consistent we’ve had,” said Pride coach Joe Hudak, who is coaching the first-year, Christian-focused organization. “They’re different pitchers. Jared’s a power pitcher, probably 88 to 90 with a real power slider, whereas Zack is probably 85, 86 with a plus-changeup that he can throw on both sides of the plate. But both have been very effective.”

Both pitchers battled injuries during their college seasons. Kamerman lost his tussle with a forearm muscle injury that put him out for the season at Nyack College.

“It was kind of scary to come back,” said Kamerman. “But with all these guys I’ve met here, and the teammates I have, it’s been an amazing experience. With the Christian aspect, every week we come together on Fridays and have studies, and just getting to know these guys closer has had a huge impact. Having those guys be my defense behind me, really helps me to boost my game.”

Waldhoff missed the first month and half of the spring college season with shoulder problems. He returned to make four starts for two-year school Kaskaskia College (Ill.), and is bound for Southeastern Missouri State this fall to play his last two years of college at the Division I level.

“What’s helped me is I’m 12 hours from home so it is a lot of just baseball. My mind’s constantly on baseball,” said Waldhoff. “And we do focus on the Christian aspect of things, so digging deeper into that has kind of helped me relax a little bit on the mound.”

The level of focus for Waldhoff and particularly Kamerman has been evident in their sculptor’s control. Kamerman has only walked four batters in his 21 innings, with three of those coming in one appearance.

“Both of them have had good command,” said Hudak. “We’ve been able to throw the ball across the plate, play good defense and we’re hitting pretty well. When you can do all three of those things, I think that’s why our record is what it is.”

Perhaps more important than the individual pitching performances, this team – thrown together a little bit last-minute – has really meshed into a talented unit with good chemistry.

Kamerman, an Alabama native, mentioned he’ll be transferring from Nyack in search of a similar-feeling situation. He seemed surprised and almost relieved by how well the Pride players have gotten along this summer. Having a majority of the team living together in the Winthrop dorms – while expensive for the organization – has had the added benefit of helping the team gel quickly.

Kamerman and Waldhoff noted that the team often goes to Cookout for food after home games. They play a game – called “What are the odds?” – that usually results in one of the Pride players having to stand on a table and lead the restaurant in singing whatever song is playing on the radio at the time.

“That happened at least a few times,” said Waldhoff.

“It’s not a rare occasion,” Kamerman added.

Throw in weekly community service at the Boys and Girls Club, and team-led Bible studies and church visits, and it’s easy to see why the team is running away with the league currently. They really like being together.

“I expected us to be good,” said Hudak. “But you never really know until you play somebody else. We only had four days to practice. Obviously we’re talented but I think this group has grown to be a really close-knit group. It’s not a typical summer team; typical summer teams, guys are out for themselves.”

Kamerman and Waldhoff echoed that belief.

“I was shocked when I got here about how fast we got our feet moving, as far as team chemistry,” said Waldhoff. “You get guys from all over the country, you never know what to expect. We came together really fast as a team.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Chemistry, pitching push Piedmont Pride to top of SCBL standings."