‘Mr. Consistency’ on the ball at Oregon State

Beaver reliever Kevin Gunderson pitches only a few innings but works 24-7

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Jun 2, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

CORVALLIS Ñ Sometime in the eighth or ninth inning of Oregon State’s NCAA regional opener against Wright State tonight, the call could come for the left-hander from the bullpen, and he will begin the march to the mound. But the process begins much earlier for Kevin Gunderson.

The Beavers’ classy closer begins his workweek on Tuesday by throwing 20 to 30 light pitches to a catcher in the bullpen. On Wednesday, he plays long toss with another pitcher, 15 to 20 throws of about 110 feet. On Thursday, he throws another 15 to 20 pitches on flat ground at about 60 percent. Friday? “Game on,” says the junior from Central Catholic.

The 5-10, 155-pound Gunderson sometimes does a little fine-tuning of his routine, depending on his workload the previous weekend. Whatever he’s doing is working. Perhaps the smallest pitcher in the Pac-10 might be the most important.

“Kevin is the best pure reliever-closer we’ve had during my time at Oregon State, and he’s the best I’ve been around,” says 12-year Oregon State coach Pat Casey. “I don’t see every other team play, but his numbers prove he’s one of the best in the country.”

Casey calls him “Mr. Consistency,” and Gunderson has been all of that in 2 1/2 seasons with the closing role. He has a school-record 34 career saves and a single-season school-record 15 this spring after recording 14 in 2005, earning all-Pac-10 honors in the process.

Bringing closure on mound

“If we bring in Gundy with a lead, I don’t even blink,” says left fielder Cole Gillespie, the Pac-10 player of the year. “We’re gonna win.”

It’s not that simple, but with Gunderson, it seems like it.

“I’m fully aware there are times when I’m not going to get the job done,” he says. “I feel horrible when that happens, because I let the team down. I’m no robot out there. But if you have a bad game, the beauty of (being a closer) is, you’re going to get the ball the next day. That’s the baseball gods looking over you.”

As dominant as Gunderson was a year ago, he might have been even better this season. In 39 innings, he has allowed only 30 hits and 15 walks with 39 strikeouts and a team-best 2.54 ERA. Opponents are hitting .214 against him. He is tied for second in the nation in saves.

“Kevin throws strikes, he does a good job handling batters from both sides of the plate and he has a presence,” Casey says. “His mentality is a big part of that. The guy wants to come in late in the game. He wants to have the ball in pressure situations.”

When Casey recruited Gunderson, Dallas Buck and Jonah Nickerson in the same class three years ago, he wasn’t sure which, if any, would become a closer. Casey tried Buck his freshman year, but the Newberg product was more comfortable in a starter’s role and became one of the best in the country. Nickerson, too, was better suited to be a starter, since his arm requires rest between appearances.

“I envisioned Gundy being a starter, knowing how durable he is,” Casey says. “And he’d have been a good one. But he was willing to be a relief guy, and he can throw back-to-back days, and he has really been so much more valuable to our club that way. He was willing to take on a role that some would say isn’t as prestigious as a starter, but he’s getting all the recognition now.”

Gunderson took over as the Beavers’ closer late in his freshman season and has been a fortress ever since.

“At first it was a tough transition, but I’ve been able to handle it just fine,” he says. “I love coming out of the pen. It’s fun. You have to be a bulldog out there. Aggressive, not timid. There’s no sleeping out there. You have to be ready to go, especially in the eighth or ninth inning with the game on the line.”

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