When Maryland baseball right-hander Ryan Selmer and left-hander Robert Galligan expect a pitching change before associate head coach Jim Belanger signals for a switch, they tell certain relievers to start warming up.
“If we have a righty and a lefty warming up in the pen, and they got a lefty on deck, I’ll be like, ‘A lefty should probably be ready,'” Selmer said.
With seven freshmen in the bullpen, the Terps’ inexperience in relief pitching has shown this year. Galligan, a redshirt senior, is the lone reliever with an ERA under 3.00, and those struggles were on display last weekend as the bullpen surrendered the team’s lead in two games.
Selmer and Galligan are the lone returning relievers who pitched at least 50 innings last season, so they’ve served as mentors for the younger pitchers. This weekend in Maryland’s three-game home series against Purdue (6-28, 1-11 Big Ten), which holds the worst batting average in the Big Ten (.254), the veterans hope to help their younger teammates break out of their slump.
“They show you how to prepare, how to take care of yourself and really how to get it done when it matters,” Belanger said. “Those guys seem like every game they’re always up throwing whether they’re getting in the game or not.”
Last season, Galligan pitched the second-most innings on the team despite being a reliever. Selmer, meanwhile, threw the fourth-most innings on the team out of the bullpen as a redshirt freshman. The Terps (19-17, 5-4) lost five relievers this offseason between the MLB draft and graduation, so Galligan and Selmer have stepped into leadership roles.
Against Minnesota last weekend, the Terps held a lead entering the seventh inning Friday and the eighth inning Sunday after the starters exited the games. In both contests, the bullpen blew the lead and the Golden Gophers prevailed.
After the Terps lost the rubber match Sunday, Galligan spoke with the young bullpen players about the importance of preparation. Galligan said for his teammates to build more confidence, they need to visualize themselves having success.
“Coach [John] Szefc always says, ‘Whatever you think is going to happen is probably going to happen,'” Galligan said. “If they don’t believe they’re going to be successful, it probably won’t happen. It’s just understanding that they’re some of the strongest arms in the country.”
While young relievers are warming up in the bullpen, Galligan and Selmer give advice to their teammates based on their own experiences.
At one point this season, sophomore right-hander Andrew Green, who pitched just 4.1 innings last season, was struggling. Selmer told Green he needed to look more confident on the mound. A few weeks later when Green got another chance, he earned his first win of the season.
Selmer said he’s preached to the younger players to remain calm in pressure situations by taking deep breaths and stepping off the mound for a few moments to refocus.
That exercise could help the bullpen this weekend after Selmer said it struggled with its fastball command and failed to regroup against Minnesota.
Selmer and Galligan have used that technique to stay poised while helping the Terps reach the Super Regional last season. Belanger knows he can count on the duo to guide the less experienced relievers through any situation.
“Every day they’re working with other guys,” Belanger said. “They just go and show you how it’s done.”
