Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall compares pitcher Mark Pope’s energy to that of a puppy. Tech pitching coach Tom Kinkelaar calls Pope a free spirit.
Said Kinkelaar, “He’s got these things in his head.”
Before games, for instance, while the Yellow Jackets’ infielders take grounders, Pope helps lead the pitchers through their own infield practice in the outfield. A constant presence at other Tech sporting events, Pope tried to join the Golden Retrievers, the ballboys and ballgirls for Jackets tennis matches.
Pope, who is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, was denied, perhaps out of fear of having one of the top pitchers in college baseball miss a start because he turned an ankle chasing down a serve into the net. It’s possible they also didn’t have a T-shirt in his size.
Said Kinkelaar, “He’s always coming up with antics.”
Even on the mound, Pope bends in a different direction. Since last year, Pope has been calling his own pitches, the only Jackets pitcher with that privilege. Hoping it would help him feel more comfortable, Pope asked Kinkelaar before his first career start last February if he could do it. Pope threw six scoreless innings.
Said Pope of Kinkelaar, “He was like, all right, stick with it.”
But perhaps no stunt compares with the way he has doused opposing hitters this spring. Pope, a junior from Walton High, has limited opponents to a .192 batting average. He is 9-2 in 11 starts with five complete games, three of them shutouts. His 1.25 ERA is 10th in the country. On Tuesday, he was added to the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation’s top amateur player. Hall thinks Pope will go in the first two rounds of the June MLB draft.
“The other thing, on top of it all, is he is probably the hardest worker on the team,” Hall said.
Armed with five pitches that he can throw for strikes, Pope attributes his performance to confidence gained as a sophomore last year, when he was Tech’s mid-week starter. The watered-down bats have played a factor, as well.
“For me, at least, I’m pitching a lot more to my strengths as a pitcher as opposed to the hitter’s weaknesses,” he said.
About the Author
