Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

When you ask someone involved with the Rutgers-Newark baseball program about the sudden improvement of junior pitcher Connor Medler, it’s hard to get a real answer why Medler has become an ace almost overnight.

“I honestly don’t know,” Scarlet Raiders head coach Mark Rizzi said.

It’s even caught Medler off-guard.

“I have to say I’m a little surprised,” Medler said. “But it feels great.”

It should. Medler has gone from being a non-descript pitcher with an earned run average of 7.36 to an undefeated hurler, getting big starts, posting a 6-0 mark with a 3.98 ERA.

Medler may be the biggest reason why the Scarlet Raiders are enjoying their best season in recent memory, winning 19 of their first 29 games this year.

“I feel more confident out there now,” said Medler, who was a high school standout at J.P. Stevens in Edison, N.J. “I feel I can go out there and win every time.”

Maybe that’s the biggest reason why Medler has made the quantum leap from mediocrity to stardom.

“I think he’s just matured,” Rizzi said. “When he was a senior in high school, I envisioned him pitching this way. It just took some time. He’s really matured a lot. I don’t think he’s just learned to pitch this year. He’s bigger and stronger and has a tremendous amount of confidence. He doesn’t think he’s going to lose.

Added Rizzi, “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that has made him better. There’s no difference in the way he’s pitching, just the results. I think he’s getting ahead of batters better and that makes him more effective. I don’t know what he’s doing differently, but you can’t argue with what he’s giving us. He’s also our most durable pitcher.”

Medler takes the ball every start and gives the Scarlet Raiders quality innings. He currently leads the team in innings pitched with 54 and he’s only walked 24 batters in those innings.

“I realize that walking batters kills pitchers,” Medler said. “I’m pitching now to have the opponents make contact and that’s working a lot better. It makes my pitches more effective than ever.”

“A lot of it has to do with Connor getting ahead of the hitters,” Rizzi said.

Medler said that he also put in a lot of time in the off-season, lifting weights, playing summer ball. He has also developed a change-up, which has evolved into a usable pitch. Medler’s change-up has the same movement as a screwball, making it very tough to hit.

“It works well because it drops down and sometimes breaks away,” Medler said. “It’s working real well right now.”

“His change-up is almost unhittable now,” Rizzi said.

Medler said that he also credits R-N pitching coach Adam DiLorenzo for working with Medler in the off-season.

“We did a lot of different pitching drills, working on getting my mechanics down and hitting spots better,” Medler said. “That has helped.”

Medler has now joined experienced senior starters Ryan Williams and Billy Cerruti, giving the Scarlet Raiders three solid starters in the rotation.

“There’s a lot of competition between the three of them and I think that’s good for the team,” Rizzi said. “It gives them a better work ethic and forces them to pitch with some sense of urgency. They all take ownership of every pitch they throw.”

Rizzi said that he just likes watching Medler pitch this season.

“He’s been a pleasure to watch,” Rizzi said. “He will also tell you when he’s had enough, which is refreshing. He’s never going to get hit hard, but the opponents don’t make good contact on him. He’s not trying to be perfect.”

Rizzi always had faith that Medler would develop into a weekend pitcher, facing the tougher opposition in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

“I didn’t expect him to be undefeated at this point, but I did think he had a chance to be a good pitcher for us,” Rizzi said. “It’s just all part of a natural progression. I always thought he would mature, develop and be a good pitcher for us and he’s doing that now.”

Medler is a criminal justice major at R-N. He doesn’t know exactly what the future holds for him, except that he might look into some sort of law enforcement.

For now, he’s not complaining about the way the season is going.

“Last year, I got lots of experience and I think that’s paying off,” Medler said. “There’s been a strong carryover from the summer. I’m definitely more confident and I understand what’s going on now a lot better.”

The confidence has certainly paid off, because Connor Medler is now a proven winner and one of the top pitchers in the NJAC.