Jake Mulholland has become Oregon State's go-to option out of the bullpen. His earned run average ranks second in the nation.
CORVALLIS -- Oregon State's 2017 baseball season was fast approaching, and the team was wrapping up its final scrimmage when a freshman took the mound.
"His last outing, it was funny," Beavers coach Pat Casey said. "I think we got him for four or five or six runs in about two innings. We hit balls all over the place."
"It's pretty amazing what he's been able to do," junior reliever Mitch Hickey said. "When he came in here, we knew he'd be good. He's definitely surpassed some expectations."
"It's not something I'm worried about," he said. "That streak is going to come to an end sometime. I'm just focused on throwing my next pitch and my next inning."
If Mulholland's early success has come as a surprise, his arrival in Corvallis seemed unlikely on multiple occasions.
Senior reliever Max Engelbrekt called Mulholland the "most valuable reliever on the team" and said he eventually expects him to be a starter.
Mulholland was raised in Corona, California, a city east of Los Angeles. But he and his family moved north of Seattle to Snohomish, Washington, when his father's job moved before Mulholland entered eighth grade.
Father Mike Mulholland said there was a "good chance" his son would have stayed in Southern California for college if not for the move.
As a sophomore at Snohomish High School, Mulholland committed to the first Pac-12 school to offer him a scholarship -- Washington State. Yet at the end of his junior year, his commitment reopened after the school fired coach Donnie Marbut. Oregon State's interest increased the second time around.
Snohomish High School baseball coach Kim Hammons said Mulholland lived in the weight room during a prep career in which he never lost a game. Consistent and confident, Mulholland was the team's go-to leader even as he did not pitch the first portion of his senior season while resting a sore arm.
"All the young kids in our program, they just took to him," Hammons said. "All of our young pitchers would watch him and learn as Jake would do his bullpens or he would do his running. He'd get over and be the first guy to do defensive drills at first base. They'd watch him pick, watch him move around with his footwork at first base. He was outstanding."
"What separates Jake from everyone else is just his hard work," junior first baseman and catcher KJ Harrison said. "He gets after it and he's a quiet guy, but when he's on the mound, he's got that fire."
Mulholland pursued advice from veterans instead of leading an array of teammates, primarily relying on junior lefty Luke Heimlich, now Oregon State's top starter and on the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
"He's always ahead in the count," Heimlich said. "Even if he does fall behind 2-0 or something, the hitter can't always just jump a fastball because he's able to throw something else in there."
Said Yeskie: "It's no mystery."