At some point in his college career, Thomas Eshelman will walk someone.
At least I think he will. But at this rate, who knows?
The freshman from Carlsbad, Calif., has stepped into the Friday starter role for Cal State Fullerton and is putting together a tremendous season. At the top of the list? He has not walked a batter since he stepped foot on campus.
The streak stretched to 58 innings last week when he tossed eight shutout frames without giving up a free pass.
For perspective, the national leader in innings pitched has thrown 69. So, at 11 off that pace, Eshelman is up near the top. And, it’s worth repeating, he hasn’t walked anybody. The NCAA statistics database has a ranking of fewest walks per nine innings. Eshelman isn’t even on it – probably because the computer doesn’t understand the zero.
I’m not sure what the NCAA record is, but Eshelman is approaching the Fullerton record of 65.2 innings set by Wes Roemer in 2006. The Major League record is 84.1 innings, owned by Bill Fischer of the Kansas City Royals.
If Eshelman does eventually walk someone this year, it’ll be the end of something amazing – but it won’t be the end of an amazing season. Eshelman, who was undrafted out of high school, is 7-1 with a 1.09 ERA. He has struck out 39, has given up one home run and has allowed just seven earned runs. Opponents are hitting .170 against him, and his 0.55 WHIP leads the nation.
Eshelman will get the ball again this weekend when the Titans take on UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos will want to be swinging – not watching.