Not quite two weeks into the season, the best win-loss record on the TCU pitching staff belongs to reliever Jake Eissler, a neat 2-0.
It’s better than anyone else in the bullpen and certainly better than anyone in the rotation.
Expand the time frame to include last year, and the junior right-hander is still tops: 7-1. Go back another year, and the record is an eye-popping 11-1.
While starting only four games.
Eight of the victories and the lone loss for Eissler have come out of the bullpen, signifying the value of the Littleton, Colo., pitcher to the Horned Frogs. Two weeks ago, he pitched 5 1/3 innings against No. 1 Vanderbilt, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. Last weekend, he delivered 5 2/3 innings with no walks and seven strikeouts against Grand Canyon, retiring 16 of 17 he faced.
That’s some relief.
“He’s incredibly important,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “He was our best pitcher at the end of the season last year, and he’s picked up right where he left off.”
To be honest, Eissler would rather start. Most pitchers would. But the Frogs have their rotation penciled in with veterans Nick Lodolo and Jared Janczak for Friday and Saturday and high-end junior college transfer Brandon Williamson on Sunday. For the midweek slot, junior left-hander Haylen Green got the nod.
Schlossnagle laid out the situation for Eissler and left it up to him to run with the key role of long relief, along with Charles King. It’s vital in college baseball, particularly early in the season. For the Frogs, it’s especially heightened as they take a conservative approach with Janczak following two off-season surgeries.
“I told him I wanted to be a starting pitcher for TCU,” Eissler said, recalling his conversation with Schlossnagle at the end of fall practice. “But he told me, Jared’s coming back, Lodolo’s a shoo-in and Brandon is going to be in there, obviously. That’s OK. You’ve got to earn everything. At the same time, I love being in the bullpen. I love being able to come in and shut teams down like that.”
Eissler excels because of outstanding command, plus a starter’s mentality. When he comes in the game, he expects to pitch multiple innings. Nine times, he has gone three innings or more.
“It was tough when I first got here, thinking, ‘Oh, man, I could throw at any time,’” Eissler said. “Certainly over the course of my career here, it’s become more apparent that I could be available to throw in any situation. It just comes down to being mentally tough and saying, ‘Hey, I could throw today in the first inning, I could throw today in the ninth inning.’ Whatever it is, I’ve got to go out and compete for the team.”
Only five of 38 batters have reached base this season against Eissler. His 0.45 WHIP ranks 16th nationally.
Since retiring 15 straight against Texas Tech on April 29, 2018, Eissler has a .158 batting average against.
In 90-plus innings at TCU, he’s walked only 18 while striking out 106. This year, it’s one walk to 10 strikeouts in 11 innings.
“I’m really glad he’s on our team,” catcher Zach Humphreys said. “He’s my roommate, so it’s really nice when I go back and we get to just talk about the game together. He throws a lot of strikes, has some really good stuff, has command of all three pitches. He’s a really good pitcher — really, really good.”
Of course, things can change. A time may come when Eissler or King have to start, either to fill in or perhaps because of a compressed schedule in postseason. Until then, it’s be ready any day and any time that Schlossnagle and pitching coach Kirk Saarloos call.
“They’ve got a plan. They’re smart with how they do things,” Eissler said. “They’ve been coaching baseball for a while now. Whatever they tell me to do, I’ll do it. I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
