#7 Reliever: Ian Reinhart

A stalwart out of the Harrisonburg Turks' bullpen this summer, submariner Ian Reinhart showed a different style than most pitchers in the league.  His results backed up his form, though, as he finished 2-0, 1.67, with 1 save, a 0.96 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 7.7 K/9, and .191 opponent's batting average.  He threw in 18 games and amassed 27 innings. Perhaps most impressively, Reinhart did not allow a home run.

Reinhart joined Southern Illinois after a stint at Vincennes College. As a junior with the Sulukis, Reinhart finished 1-1, 2.90, with 4 saves, a 1.29 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, and 6.0 K/9.  The Southern Illinois website states that Ian throws in the mid 80's and locates his pitches well.

I was able to contact Ian and ask him about his choice of pitching motion, and he said, "I started throwing submarine a little bit in high school just to throw off a hitter that would take me deep into a count. It just gave a guy a different look when I dropped down.  When I went to Junior College I realized that an 85-86 mile an hour fast ball probably wouldn't get me to the division 1 level so I decided to drop down for good."

Righthanded submariners sometimes have difficulty with lefthanded hitters.  Ian agrees, saying, "I think that facing right handed hitters is my specialty because I can run a fast ball in and work my slider away; lefties just tend to get a better look from my angle. I'm getting better with left handed hitters, it's just harder because I have to be a lot more precise with my pitch placement."

 

Clearly his approach worked in the Valley League! Ian was a big reason the Turks were as successful as they were, and he'll most likely play an important role with the Salukis this spring!