A major leaguer returns to Huntington to catch up with the Thundering Herd baseball program and inspire a new generation of players to follow their dreams.
It wasn’t exactly the October Cincinnati Reds pitcher Dan Straily had envisioned. His season had just ended and instead of continuing his first year in Cincinnati with a playoff run, Straily was driving from Cincinnati to Huntington with his wife, Amanda, to show her his old college town. He hadn’t been back to Marshall since he left in 2009, so there was plenty to see, a lot to reminisce about and a Herd baseball practice he wanted to observe at the Kennedy Center.
“Huntington and Marshall University were really good to me,” Straily said of why he wanted to swing by campus. “I hope I can be a motivation to all the guys out there that chase this dream. I still chase it all the time. I’m fortunate to have been playing in the majors for quite a while now, and I don’t take that for granted.”
Straily did his part in 2016 to help the Reds’ efforts. He led the staff in wins (14), starts (31) and strikeouts (162) while posting a 14-8 record. Those are pretty good numbers for a guy who was drafted in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball draft. You have to have more than just talent to make it to the “Bigs” as the 723rd pick in the draft.
Soaking in Straily’s visit to Huntington under a beautiful blue sky was Herd Coach Jeff Waggoner. For a college baseball coach, an alum in the majors can be your best recruiting tool. And standing on the pitching mound at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 220 pounds, Straily was real proof to the current Herd players that hard work matters in this sport. They were listening to his pitch, loud and clear.
“I think it’s more important to our players that we can see guys make it to the highest level.” Waggoner said. “We’ve got 30 plus kids from Marshall playing pro ball, and just to hear another voice say, ‘You can do this,’ is great. Dan didn’t have special tools other than a mindset that he was going to make it. And our current players want to continue that proud tradition of determination. They know how tough it is to be the most northern team in Conference USA, and they know we need new facilities to compete in this conference.”
Marshall’s baseball program had a season in 2016 that kept major league alums like Dan Straily and 2013 first round draft pick Aaron Blair keenly interested in what was going on in Huntington:
- 34 wins and 21 C-USA wins, the most ever in school history
- Four players drafted in MLB draft, one signed as a free agent
- Won 11 C-USA games in a row
- Coach Jeff Waggoner named the Keith LeClair C-USA Coach of the Year
- First baseman Tommy Lane named C-USA Newcomer of the Year and named to the All C-USA First Team
- Pitcher Chase Boster and outfielder D.J. Gee named to the All C-USA First Team
It was also a year of what might have been. By Jeff Waggoner’s calculations, the Herd was one or two wins away from a berth in the NCAA Tournament. But was it the best year ever under Waggoner?
“Starting pitching and bullpen were maybe the strongest,” Waggoner said. “We had a good offense. It definitely was by record and the most wins in conference. You’d probably have to say that.”
But Waggoner and the Herd now turn the page to 2017.
They lost those five players to the professionals. Still, Waggoner and the Herd press on. He builds a program that’s still behind in the count because it plays its non-conference home games at the Kennedy Center on Route 2 and their home conference games at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston. It’s not a level playing field in Conference USA for the nomadic Herd, but the program is not making excuses for its lack of a full-time home field.
This season, 14 players from last year’s roster return. Heavy contributors like pitcher/third baseman Tyler Ratliff, shortstop Leo Valenti, first baseman Tommy Lane and outfielder Cory Garrastazu, among others, will bring experience to the Thundering Herd lineup.
“We’re not gonna sneak up on anyone,” Waggoner said. “We want to help the conference stay at the top and we want to be a part of that. Teams like Rice, Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss — we want to keep it a strong conference.”
And to keep those professional players stopping by to visit.
Keith Morehouse is the sports director for WSAZ NewsChannel 3 in Huntington.
Photos: (Second from top) Marshall baseball players dream of making it in the big leagues like pitcher Dan Straily, who is now with the Miami Marlins. Courtesy of The Cincinnati Reds. (Third from top) Head Coach Jeff Waggoner pushed the Thundering Herd to a record season in 2016. (Below left) Thundering Herd pitcher/third baseman Tyler Ratliff brings experience to the lineup. (Below right) Joshua Shapiro was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week among other honors during his freshman season in 2016.