For some pitchers, seven innings of shutout, two-hit baseball with eight strikeouts might be the highlight of a college career.
For Slippery Rock rising senior Joey Purcell, who posted that line score against Pitt-Johnstown in March, it was a regression.
In his prior start, on St. Patrick’s Day against St. Anselm, Council Rock South’s Purcell threw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter, fanning nine. Teammate Michael Kitko preserved the no-no.
“Against St. Anselm, I didn’t feel the greatest. My slider was my best pitch the whole season and it definitely was that day,” Purcell remembered. “The scouting report was to hammer them with sliders and curveballs, and that’s what we did.
“With Pitt-Johnstown, I felt pretty good arm strength wise. My velo was up and my slider was spot on. It was also about 32 degrees but – and I might be one of the only pitchers to think this – that works to my advantage,” Purcell continued. “I feel like I am the only one who is somewhat warm, especially if I can get out of innings quickly, get my glove off and start warming my body up.”
Purcell won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Pitcher of the Week for both outings. He ended the spring 5-4 with a 3.10 ERA and the 16th best WHIP in the country (1.03). Purcell struck out 64 in 61 innings.
“He has definitely sharpened his tools with his breaking ball and offspeed pitches,” noted CR South coach Greg Paprocki, who still watches Purcell’s bullpens when he is home. “Joey has a lot of arm side run that he has been able to use to his advantage. He has really mastered his craft – the sinker and slider – when it comes to understanding what kind of pitcher he is. And he has naturally progressed from getting into the weight room and taking care of his body. His velocity made a jump.”
Purcell posted an all-PSAC West first team worthy pitching resume. The eye-opener was the lefty hitting, righty pitcher made that team as a first baseman. At the plate, Purcell slashed .319/.397/.454 with nine doubles in 43 games.
Playing both ways “is a lot more work than some people may think. It takes a lot of hitting alone,” Purcell shared. “In the spring, I’ll spend a lot of nights by myself either hitting off the tee or the machine just to get the work in. There are times where I can’t get as many swings because I’m doing stuff to work on my arm or getting ready to pitch.”
Kitko and USC Upstate transfer Gage Gillott join Purcell in giving Slippery Rock a unique advantage: three two-way players. Gillott won the Conference Pitcher of the Year; all three hit over .300 and slugged over .450.
“When you see a kid as talented as Joey is on the mound, one of the first things a coach is likely to tell him is ‘it’s time to put the bat down and focus on pitching.’ Joey never did that,” Paprocki observed. “Joey worked hard at both.”
Paprocki says that playing two ways in high school is challenging enough. “That Joey is doing it at the level where he is competing is pretty remarkable,” he continued. “The PSAC is one of the best Division II conferences in the country.”
Gillott’s arrival jolted The Rock. “It helped seeing his success. He puts in so much work,” Purcell observed. “He is at the field after hours and before everyone. That rubs off on a lot of guys. They want to work harder after seeing him be really successful this year.”
Purcell is a two-year, two-way starter. The Rock finished below .500 last season in conference and overall play. This spring, they boasted a nine-game conference turnaround as part of a 28-18 season.
Team chemistry was one reason for the improvement. “I feel like we were a lot closer together, almost immediately in the fall. The new guys clicked together. There wasn’t a big separation between older guys and the younger guys,” Purcell said.
The Rock recruited Purcell as a two-way player. Purcell half expected to switch to one position full time. “But both kind of clicked at one point and I can’t really seem to put one of them down,” he noted.
Purcell currently plays with the Upper Valley Nighthawks of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, one of the top summer wood bat leagues in the country. He struck out 11 in 16.1 innings at press time. While he is primarily pitching, he continues to take batting practice with their hitters.
“A big part of the summer is seeing how I match up against a higher level of competition,” Purcell said. “I’m trying to have fun up here and learn from my teammates.”
“As soon as I saw him play, I knew he was a special player and as soon as I got to meet him, I knew he was a special kid,” Paprocki shared. “Joey is focused and hard working. He is a spectacular teammate. I’m not surprised at the success he has had at Slippery Rock. He wanted to win more than anyone else on the field and that goes a long way in this game.”
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