The summer belonged to Sean Manaea. Pre-draft talk revolved around the big three – Manaea, Mark Appel and Ryne Stanek. Kevin Ziomek was there the whole time, not even really under the radar, just not quite turning every head.
Now he’s officially crashing the party.
The Vanderbilt junior and former Cotuit Kettleer has been the best pitcher in the country through the first month of the college baseball season, and I’m not sure it’s close. Ziomek is tied for the national lead in strikeouts with North Carolina State sophomore Carlos Rodon, but Rodon’s ERA sits at 5.14. Ziomek’s ERA? Try 0.87.
Ziomek has struck out 46 and walked only seven in 31 innings. He’s 4-0 and has allowed 12 hits in four starts, for a nice little average of three per game. Opponents are hitting .118 against him.
And that’s not even everything.
Ziomek has hurled two absolutely dominant complete games. In a 9-0 win over Illinois-Chicago on March 1, he struck out 15 and didn’t allow a runner past second base on his way to the shutout. The very next week – on the road, against a much tougher Oregon team – Ziomek went nine again, this time allowing just two hits while striking out 13.
It’s been an amazing start to the season, one that even prompted former Vanderbilt ace and Tampa Bay Rays star David Price to talk of “Nintendo Numbers” on Twitter in response to Ziomek’s stats.
When you’re getting David Price’s attention, you’re doing something right.
This level of success has always seemed like a possibility for Ziomek. He starred in high school in Amherst, Mass., and was a 13th-round pick of the Diamondbacks. At Vandy, he pitched mostly out of the bullpen as a freshman and did well.
Since then, it’s been about waiting for the breakout.
After his freshman season, he was in Cotuit and flashing his potential. He finished the summer with a 4.35 ERA, though, and almost as many walks as strikeouts. In his sophomore season at Vandy, he struck out a batter an inning but carried an ERA over five.
This summer, though, while Manaea was dominating, Ziomek showed a few hints of what was to come. He pitched in only five games for the Kettleers, but struck out 36 in 28.1 innings and posted an ERA of 1.27.
Now, the break-out is happening, in a pretty enormous way. Ziomek’s next start will come this weekend, when Vanderbilt opens up SEC play against Auburn.
Will it be more of the same? Based on what’s happened so far, I wouldn’t put it past him.