Baseball America Features Nathan Newman
3/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Aaron Fitt, Baseball America Writer March 2009 Nathan Newman's route from Houston (Texas) Christian High to Pepperdine has been unconventional. After arriving at Tulane as a freshman, Newman and the Green Wave spent that fall in Lubbock, Texas, after Hurrican Katrina forced them to evacuate New Orleans. Newman transferred to Grayson County (Texas) CC for his sophomore year, then headed west to Malibu for his junior year in 2008. He settled immediately into the Friday starter role and went 8-4, 3.46 for the Waves last year, capping the season with a 10-strikeout performance in a victory over Arkansas in the Stanford Regional. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound Newman was drafted in the 10th round by the Mariners last June but elected to return for his senior year, and he is off to an even better start in 2009, going 2-0, 1.35 with 18 strikeouts and six walks through 20 innings heading into this weekend's trip to Wichita State.
Congratulations on your hot start, Nathan. You had a great season last year, but have you made any adjustments since then that have helped lead to your early success this year?
We've been using my 12-to-6 curveball a lot more than we did last year, as more of a strikeout pitch. Last year I threw predominantly sliders, but this spike curve is helping to finish hitters a lot better. I usually throw the slider more for a strike pitch, less of a strikeout pitch. The slider is a lot easier for me to control. It has less break, though.
So you throw a fastball, curveball and slider. Anything else in your repertoire?
Also a split. It's definitely a pitch I use against lefties. It's a pitch I'm still learning. I picked it up midway through last season, started throwing it a lot more in the regionals against Arkansas. They had a lot of free-swinging lefties, so it helped a lot.
That must have been quite an experience, striking out 10 against Arkansas in your first career NCAA tournament appearance?
That was awesome. My first time pitching in regionals, it was definitely exciting. Especially since I had a buddy on the other team who threw, Mike Bolsinger. I went to junior college with him.
So I guess you got bragging rights over him since you guys won, huh?
Hah, I guess—I'm not much of a bragger. It was fun, it's a shame we lost those two games to Stanford. It hurt a lot losing a big bat like (outfielder Eric) Thames (to injury in the regional), but a bunch of guys picked up the slack.
It had to be disappointing to win your first two games in the regional but then lose twice in a row to Stanford. Did you guys learn anything from the experience, you think?
There's definitely a lesson to be learned. It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth—that's one of the reasons I wanted to come back to school. We just didn't play as well as we could have. We had this team coming back with all the seniors, we figured we'd be in the mix again.
Were you close to signing with the Mariners last summer?
I was extremely close to signing. But I definitely felt like I had unfinished business (at Pepperdine).
Are you enjoying being a part of such a veteran club with high hopes this year?
We've got a great mix. The pitching, we've got guys like Cole Cook coming back—he's obviously been lights-out in the bullpen, and he's really picking up the slack on Tuesdays. Cole Cook and Matt Bywater have been a tremendous combo, not to mention Tyler Hess coming out of the bullpen, a strong setup man for (closer Nick) Gaudi, who's back as a senior too. Not to mention (Scott) Alexander on Saturdays; you're not going to find a better lefty when he's throwing strikes.
Do a lot of the younger guys on the staff look up to you as a leader?
I'm still learning the same as them, but we've got such a close-knit group of guys, we all feed off each other. I certainly hope they look up to me, though.
So how did a Texas boy like you wind up at Pepperdine?
It's been a wild journey. I was moving into the dorms at Tulane when coach (Mark) Kingston gave me a call and told me, 'Newman, you've got to get out of town, leave your books and clothes and everything, hit the road and we'll be back in a few days.' That was around Aug. 17, and I wasn't back at Tulane until the end of January. The entire team got moved out to Texas Tech at Lubbock—that was an experience. The hospitality was second to none. They treated us so well. So I was there for a semester, then at Tulane for a semester, then out to Grayson County on the border.
Why did you decide to leave Tulane?
At Tulane, they wanted to make me a closer. The guy we had, Daniel Latham, was already the Conference USA saves leader, and it looked like he was coming back, so I wouldn't have the chance to close until I was a junior. I just wanted an opportunity.
Did you grow a lot in your year at Grayson?
Without a doubt. Junior college is quite an experience. It's completely different than D-I baseball. You're playing a ton of games, and I had an opportunity to play with a ton of great players out there. Pretty much everybody from that team ended up going to play Division I after. (Current Angels farmhand) Jordan Walden is the only guy I've seen throw 100 other than (former Wave Brett) Hunter. His final outing at Grayson, he hit 100 eight times.
When you're on a staff with hard-throwers like Hunter and Walden, and you see them lighting up the radar guns, is it ever tempting to get out on the mound and just try to reach back and throw as hard as you can?
I know I can't run it up that high. I like to work that two-seam in on their hands. I've got to throw everything but the kitchen sink at them. My velocity has been up and down. The two-seam's a little slower, people have told me high 80s with the two-seamer, low 90s with four-seamer. I use the sinker, the two-seamer, a lot more, trying to get those groundball outs. The middle infield we've got, they're life-savers on those ground balls.
What do you expect this weekend at Wichita?
I expect a sweep, but we don't really worry about the outcome. If we do our jobs, with our pitching staff and the way our guys have been swinging it lately, I think we'll go in there and compete with them. We have a freshman, (Ryan) Van Amburg, who's tearing the cover off the ball, and Colin Rooney transferred in and is really swinging well also.
It sounds like you think you've got a pretty good shot to reclaim the West Coast Conference title from San Diego this year.
I felt like we were the better team last year. They flat-out beat us last year (in the WCC championship series). That's another sour taste that I think is left in all of our mouths. We've got so many returning seniors, I think everybody's counting down the days for that one. We've got a shot this year, if everything falls into place and our pitching keeps going the way it is.
It seems a little more laid-back out in Southern California than in Texas or Louisiana, but how intense is that USD-Pepperdine rivalry?
It's definitely a rivalry, but the fans aren't quite as rabid as they are down South. When you play at Alex Box Stadium and you're sitting in the bullpen, you can pretty much expect to have beer spilled on you and people yelling at you. Out here, there are not as many fans, but the competitive nature is still there.
Congratulations on your hot start, Nathan. You had a great season last year, but have you made any adjustments since then that have helped lead to your early success this year?
We've been using my 12-to-6 curveball a lot more than we did last year, as more of a strikeout pitch. Last year I threw predominantly sliders, but this spike curve is helping to finish hitters a lot better. I usually throw the slider more for a strike pitch, less of a strikeout pitch. The slider is a lot easier for me to control. It has less break, though.
So you throw a fastball, curveball and slider. Anything else in your repertoire?
Also a split. It's definitely a pitch I use against lefties. It's a pitch I'm still learning. I picked it up midway through last season, started throwing it a lot more in the regionals against Arkansas. They had a lot of free-swinging lefties, so it helped a lot.
That must have been quite an experience, striking out 10 against Arkansas in your first career NCAA tournament appearance?
That was awesome. My first time pitching in regionals, it was definitely exciting. Especially since I had a buddy on the other team who threw, Mike Bolsinger. I went to junior college with him.
So I guess you got bragging rights over him since you guys won, huh?
Hah, I guess—I'm not much of a bragger. It was fun, it's a shame we lost those two games to Stanford. It hurt a lot losing a big bat like (outfielder Eric) Thames (to injury in the regional), but a bunch of guys picked up the slack.
It had to be disappointing to win your first two games in the regional but then lose twice in a row to Stanford. Did you guys learn anything from the experience, you think?
There's definitely a lesson to be learned. It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth—that's one of the reasons I wanted to come back to school. We just didn't play as well as we could have. We had this team coming back with all the seniors, we figured we'd be in the mix again.
Were you close to signing with the Mariners last summer?
I was extremely close to signing. But I definitely felt like I had unfinished business (at Pepperdine).
Are you enjoying being a part of such a veteran club with high hopes this year?
We've got a great mix. The pitching, we've got guys like Cole Cook coming back—he's obviously been lights-out in the bullpen, and he's really picking up the slack on Tuesdays. Cole Cook and Matt Bywater have been a tremendous combo, not to mention Tyler Hess coming out of the bullpen, a strong setup man for (closer Nick) Gaudi, who's back as a senior too. Not to mention (Scott) Alexander on Saturdays; you're not going to find a better lefty when he's throwing strikes.
Do a lot of the younger guys on the staff look up to you as a leader?
I'm still learning the same as them, but we've got such a close-knit group of guys, we all feed off each other. I certainly hope they look up to me, though.
So how did a Texas boy like you wind up at Pepperdine?
It's been a wild journey. I was moving into the dorms at Tulane when coach (Mark) Kingston gave me a call and told me, 'Newman, you've got to get out of town, leave your books and clothes and everything, hit the road and we'll be back in a few days.' That was around Aug. 17, and I wasn't back at Tulane until the end of January. The entire team got moved out to Texas Tech at Lubbock—that was an experience. The hospitality was second to none. They treated us so well. So I was there for a semester, then at Tulane for a semester, then out to Grayson County on the border.
Why did you decide to leave Tulane?
At Tulane, they wanted to make me a closer. The guy we had, Daniel Latham, was already the Conference USA saves leader, and it looked like he was coming back, so I wouldn't have the chance to close until I was a junior. I just wanted an opportunity.
Did you grow a lot in your year at Grayson?
Without a doubt. Junior college is quite an experience. It's completely different than D-I baseball. You're playing a ton of games, and I had an opportunity to play with a ton of great players out there. Pretty much everybody from that team ended up going to play Division I after. (Current Angels farmhand) Jordan Walden is the only guy I've seen throw 100 other than (former Wave Brett) Hunter. His final outing at Grayson, he hit 100 eight times.
When you're on a staff with hard-throwers like Hunter and Walden, and you see them lighting up the radar guns, is it ever tempting to get out on the mound and just try to reach back and throw as hard as you can?
I know I can't run it up that high. I like to work that two-seam in on their hands. I've got to throw everything but the kitchen sink at them. My velocity has been up and down. The two-seam's a little slower, people have told me high 80s with the two-seamer, low 90s with four-seamer. I use the sinker, the two-seamer, a lot more, trying to get those groundball outs. The middle infield we've got, they're life-savers on those ground balls.
What do you expect this weekend at Wichita?
I expect a sweep, but we don't really worry about the outcome. If we do our jobs, with our pitching staff and the way our guys have been swinging it lately, I think we'll go in there and compete with them. We have a freshman, (Ryan) Van Amburg, who's tearing the cover off the ball, and Colin Rooney transferred in and is really swinging well also.
It sounds like you think you've got a pretty good shot to reclaim the West Coast Conference title from San Diego this year.
I felt like we were the better team last year. They flat-out beat us last year (in the WCC championship series). That's another sour taste that I think is left in all of our mouths. We've got so many returning seniors, I think everybody's counting down the days for that one. We've got a shot this year, if everything falls into place and our pitching keeps going the way it is.
It seems a little more laid-back out in Southern California than in Texas or Louisiana, but how intense is that USD-Pepperdine rivalry?
It's definitely a rivalry, but the fans aren't quite as rabid as they are down South. When you play at Alex Box Stadium and you're sitting in the bullpen, you can pretty much expect to have beer spilled on you and people yelling at you. Out here, there are not as many fans, but the competitive nature is still there.
