By Chris O’Grady

University of Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell should be free to relax a little more than most college baseball coaches in the late innings of this season.
Junior pitcher Gabriel Shaw has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s watch list for the Stopper of the Year award, given to the nation’s top closer.
“It’s really a huge honor to be recognized through all of college baseball,” said Shaw. “But it’s also an honor our coaches thought highly enough of me to be nominated.”
Last season Shaw was 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA, and led the team with three saves. He made 29 appearances last year, which ranks fifth all time at U of L for a single season. During his time on the field, he earned 47 strikeouts. He was responsible for pitching a scoreless ninth inning against Indiana University in the NCAA Regional, as a reliever.
Shaw has been an asset since he arrived at U of L. This year he contends he can do better, largely through improving his slider.
“I want to get more saves this year, and help the team the best I can,” said Shaw. “I’ve really worked on throwing a better slider, a harder slider.”
Teammates have noticed Shaw’s dependability, and are well aware of the significance of having an elite closer on the team.
“The big thing with Gabe is his consistency,” said junior outfielder Josh Richmond. “You know what you’re going to get every time he takes the mound.”
Junior outfielder Nate Holland agreed, praising what he has seen from Shaw at U of L.
“He just has pinpoint accuracy and a very versatile arm,” said Holland. “He is very impressive.”
The role of closer is especially taxing, and Shaw noted that the most difficult part is the mental preparation. The key to this success, Shaw said, is repetition. A closer is only in the game for a minimal amount of time, making each pitch more important.
“It takes a lot to get ready to come in so late in the game and have your best ready,” said Shaw. “I have really been working to be tough with inherited runners. The toughest part is working with runners on. You go through the same warm-up, same pitch count, same pitch order, even the same stretching. You want to have everything going right when you get to the mound.”
The award list will be trimmed down the week of April 19, and the winner will be announced at the beginning of the College World Series in Omaha on June 19. The Cardinals open their season on Feb. 19 at home against Bowling Green State University.