In his first ever conference start, sophomore pitcher Colin Wendinger threw a six-hit shutout in his longest career appearance.

Coach Chris Olean said he knew Wendinger has the potential to be a strong pitcher and expected a successful season from his right hander.

“Well, it helps us quite a bit, we had our one and two back this year, so we were looking for those three-four spots to get filled up in our rotation,” Olean said. “And so far, he’s done that.”

Wendinger was named MIAC pitcher of the week after striking out five and walking one in the shutout. He credits much of his success to his teammates and coaches.

“I’ve been paired up with senior Dylan Thomas since last year and he’s taught me a lot about pitching,” Wendinger said. “Just from a mental standpoint and physical just helping me out with things.”

Thomas said he has seen Wendinger grow as a pitcher.

“Very hard worker, you know me and him are in here a lot, before practice, after practice,” Thomas said. “You know working on especially offspeed pitches, location and everything like that.”

Wendinger has many pitches in his arsenal, but his two seam fastball is his toughest pitch. He has a sharp breaking ball to counter his fastball. Olean understands just how tough he is to face when he’s hitting his spots.

Wendinger has worked hard in the offseason and improved his 84 mph fastball significantly.

“His velocity is definitely one of the biggest things for him, he’s 88-90,” Thomas said. “Very good for a right-handed pitcher in the MIAC.”

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.