Chapman baseball wins seven of their last 10 games after 3-7 start to season

The Panthers are now 12-10 on the season and are living up to expectations of being a nationally ranked team. Pictured: Josh Phillips. Photos courtesy of Grant Manning

When you’re a nationally ranked team and everyone’s got a target on your back, there’s only one expectation: to steamroll every team that comes up on the schedule.

Chapman University’s baseball roster boasted of two all-American pitchers in Wyatt Thompson and Grant Manning and other plentiful talent in all-conference players Cole Minato, Davis Mieliwocki and AJ Anzai before the season commenced.

The team ranked seventh in the nation, but did not appear to be a top team. They started 3-7 due to struggles with pitching and shaky at-bat play.

“(The losses) slowly kept on compounding,” said Manning, a senior creative writing major. “It definitely inflated those feelings of resentment or anger, but it has motivated us more both in practices and our individual work to be the best versions of ourselves and not half do it when we’re at practice or (when) we’re working out to be best prepared for the game. “

In their most recent series against Tufts University, Chapman took two of a three-game series, winning the last two games 7-0 and 6-3. Pictured: Trent Turquand

Senior strategic corporate and communication major Trent Turquand said that in all the years he played baseball at Chapman, this start to the season was the roughest, but the coaching staff did an excellent job managing any sense of panic. 

“Once we dropped out of (the top seven teams) and we had the record that we had, it was more of a reality check for us and looking in the mirror and seeing who we are and what we wanted to be as a team,” Turquand said.

He added that whenever teams go up against Chapman, they typically bring out their number-one pitchers, so if Chapman isn’t committed on offense or defense, expect a 3-7 start to be a wake up call that the team needs.

In their most recent series against Tufts University, Chapman took two of a three-game series, winning the last two games 7-0 and 6-3. 

Outfielder Josh Phillips and catcher Kai Osaka are hitting .238 and .319 respectively, combining for 34 RBIs and 7 home runs in 22 games played. 

Anzai, a junior biology major, also wanted to recognize infielder Cole Minato, and while he does not have a home run yet, he is hitting .368 and has 12 RBIs.

“I think Cole Minato has been one of our best hitters this entire year,” Anzai said. “He’s getting on base (and) he’s getting hits. He’s one of the best two-strike hitters I’ve ever seen and with (Phillips and Osaka included) I think we can go a long way.”

Anzai himself is having a great season too, as noted by Manning. Manning said that Anzai is great at crushing the ball and hitting it into gaps of the defense, providing the necessary spark for the team at the beginning of games.

Manning and Thompson are posting ERAs of 2.93 and 2.55, but they can’t be the only ones limiting the production of their opponents. Manning also gave kudos to freshman closer Henry Chabot.

“He’s been electric,” Manning said. “He’s a hard thrower for his age, so he’s been dominant for us. (Now) he’s got four saves on the year. He’s been reliable with us for that ninth inning to be able to shut down an offense.

“I want to (also) give a shoutout to (pitcher) Ryan Nopper, who is also a freshman. He’s been a real defensive backbone for us, to be able to knock down ground balls and keep everybody up, and it’s been awesome to be able to see him perform as well as he (has).”

From here on out, Anzai said that the Panthers will be diving straight into conference play, and he is focused on their upcoming matchup against Redlands University. Turquand and Anzai agreed that their biggest trial will come against Cal Lutheran University.

“(Cal Lutheran is) ranked ahead of us right now, and obviously, we didn’t think we would be in this position; we thought we’d be (ranked) higher,” Anzai said. “But we know (the) team (that) we came in with, and we’re starting to show that now, so I think that test is gonna be great, and I think that we are gonna come out on top (in that matchup).”

The victory that Anzai is manifesting against Cal Lutheran speaks volumes of how much more physically and mentally prepared the team is at the midpoint of the season. 

According to Manning, Turquand and Anzai, opponents did not hold back in relation to trash-talking and getting into the heads of Chapman players when they underperformed in the beginning of the regular season. 

But now they understand to let their game do the talking as an absolute clapback towards those who jeered and got the Panthers pressed.

“Our coach (Scott Laverty) likes to say ‘Stay with us,’” Turquand said. “Hopefully we keep doing that, keep that up, (and just play our game).”