Making Major leaps for West Virginia baseball
It’s funny what life has in store sometimes and the past two years for Aidan Major is an example of that.
Last season Major was set to be one of the weekend starters for West Virginia until head coach Randy Mazey called an audible due to his shoulder being sore before the start of the season. That pushed him to the bullpen where he was named a Big 12 honorable mention selection and opened the door for others.
This season, the redshirt junior was again set to pitch out of the pen, but injuries yet again shifted things and put Major back into the weekend rotation.
The original choice to keep him in the bullpen was considered a compliment due to his ability to pitch twice a week, but he has embraced the starter role.
"My expectation is to come out and get as many outs as possible," Major said.
And Major hasn’t looked back since.
“He’s just been super lights out ever since. Taking advantage of opportunities. He got an opportunity to prove to me and everybody that he’s a quality Big 12 starter,” Mazey said.
Across 26 innings this season, Major sits at 3-0 and boasts a 3.12 ERA with 29 strikeouts against just six free passes.
His most recent outing was a win in the Big 12 opener against what Mazey labels as a very good BYU offense. In that career-long eight-inning effort, Major permitted four runs and scattered eight hits with eight punchouts.
Even late in that game when the right-hander allowed three runs in the eighth inning off a pair of homeruns, he asked his manager to let him finish the deal by getting the final out of that frame.
“When I went out there to talk to him in the eighth inning with two outs he said, ‘don’t take me out, I’ve got this guy. I’ve got this guy,’” Mazey said.
Major rewarded Mazey’s trust with recording that final out before giving way to Bryce Amos to close out the ninth and final inning. Although it wasn't without a fight.
"The competitive side of me was frustrated and wanted to go out and finish the game," Major said.
It’s been a sizeable leap for Major in his third year in the program as he has continued to learn how to best effectively pitch. The Mill Hall, Pa. native has always had good stuff but has made progress toward winning games.
As part of that Major has seen his command improve throwing his fast ball to both sides of the plate, employing two different breaking balls with his changeup developing into his best pitch.
“He’s doing everything he’s supposed to do to win games,” Mazey said.
And there is even more room to grow as Major continues to learn more about his craft.
“He obviously is way better of a pitcher than he was back then. He’s a veteran kid that has learned and developed and knows how to win,” Mazey said.
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