#7 Starting Pitcher: Ashur Tolliver

Ashur Tolliver, a sophomore at Arkansas-Little Rock, is the second Harrisonburg Turk on the top starters list. Tolliver, a slight 5-11, 155 pounds, threw very well for the Turks over 50 innings, going 4-0, 2.52, with a 1.16 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9, 11.0 K/9, and .216 opponent's batting average. Ashur finished 8th in the league in ERA, 8th in strikeouts, 8th in opponent's batting average, and 6th in K/9.

In his freshman year at Arkansas-Little Rock, Ashur went 6-5, 4.45, with a 1.51 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9, and 7.8 K/9. 

Tolliver made things difficult for hitters all year, as evidenced by his number of strikeouts. One evening against Luray, Tolliver made things even tougher by adding a split finger fastball to his repertoire. I happened to be standing behind the Wrangler dugout, and it was interesting to see the hitters on the bench try to figure out what the pitch was. They knew Tolliver had a fastball and changeup, but his curve/slider needed some work, so batters didn't fear it. When a pitch dropped off the table as it neared the plate, the batters' eyes widened- it wasn't like Tolliver needed another weapon.  Tolliver already hits 92 on the radar gun; if he fills out, he could potentially throw even harder. He could be a high draft pick in 2009.

I interviewed Tolliver during the season; the article can be found here. (Below: Tolliver throwing with some little guys)