Clubhouse Reactions Following Game 3 vs. Billings
PaddleHeads Offense Keeps The Peddle Down In Convincing Victory
A Conversation With Manager Michael Schlact:
Q: Klemp obviously had himself a night doing a little bit of everything to reach base 6 times. How does this skill set fit into what your offense typically does best?
Schlact: "He can attack in multiple ways. Just like the rest of the players we have on our roster . No matter the situation you know these guys are going to be up to the challenge. Klem is a calm, quiet type of player and he knows his skill set. That was fun to watch."
Q: Something this offense did so well at its best last year was put big rallies together with a large contingent of hitters coming to the plate. That definitely was the case tonight. What were you most happy with thinking about the team's approach?
Schlact: "I loved that we stayed on the attack and never let off the gas. Everyone knows what they do best and never let the situation get too big. It's never a selfish approach and always is selfless."
Q: Nick Parker was outstanding tonight giving your rotation back-to-back solid outings. He was so efficient keeping his pitch count under 70 in 6 innings. What were the key factors that allowed him to attack this lineup so efficiently?
Schlact: "Nick has so many pitches he can attack with, so they were off balance all night. When you can pitch backwards and throw any pitch in any count for a strike, the result is typically what you saw tonight."
Q: The Mustangs showed a little life in the 7th with a 4-run rally after your squad had dominated to that point. But you immediately saw an answer from the offense with a big rally in the next half inning. How important was that for you to see?
Schlact: "That 'Find A Way', never say it's over type attitude is what wins games. It doesn't matter what happens, we know our guys are going to believe we have a shot to win the game.
Q: After some familiar names took the mound the last 2 nights, you now will turn to a new face thinking about Ryan Wentz for Game 4. He saw limited action in the league last season appearing in 4 games with Boise so this is his 1st chance to put a full season together. What do you hope to see from him in his first outing of the season?
Schlact: "We just want Wentz to go out there and trust his stuff. He has the ability to shut down any offense and we've seen him throw a strong arsenal at our guys in spring training. We're just looking for him to fill up the zone and stay on the attack all night."
Safford's 3 Stars of the Night
Well that's one way to make a lot of new fans in a new city quickly. What a performance. Klemp was only a triple shy of the cycle Thursday night. He doubled twice, homered, and also showed patience at the plate with 2 walks. That show's you're far from a one trick pony (pun intended). That also highlights the selfless approach that Schlact referred to above. He was not up there trying to be a hero. He executed and took advantage of what the pitcher gave him.
I see the duo of Smith, and Klemp to be a great duo at the catcher position in the early stages of the season. Smith seemingly took momentum from a successful spring camp into success in the last 2 games especially. He has recorded doubles in 2 straight. They both are also more than capable behind the plate defensively. This may allow both to stay fresh from a physical stand point sharing the load defensively.
This was exactly what Parker does best. He mixes his pitches, throwing any pitch in any count to tie up an opposing offense. Throwing 66 pitches to get through 6 innings is about as efficient as you can get on the mound. What a great showing we have seen from the starters in the last 2 games.
Another thing Parker, and Dawson Day had in common coming into the week was they were trying to put a disappointing end to 2024 behind them. Parker spent a large amount of the stretch run of last season on the inactive list after a strong run of outings in June, and July. Day would see a start in the postseason get away from him last September as Missoula was bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs. Seeing them both come out so strong was definitely a great sign.
Of the rookies on the PaddleHeads roster to start the season, Wilkerson was surely one that drew attention coming in. Whenever you have a college program like North Carolina attached to your name it is going to garner some attention. Being a player that appeared in over 100 games with the Tar Heels in his final 2 seasons only adds to that. When he stepped on a Pioneer League diamond however, things initially did not go his way. On Opening Night he was 0-5. That type of night is going to happen to any hitter at any level. Wilkerson proved he could have a short memory to go along with the success of the rest of the team.
Wilkerson reached base 4 times in the win Thursday recording a pair of RBIs for Missoula. A rookie showing the ability to quickly bounce back after a tough performance early in the series shows he is ready to take on the challenge of professional baseball. The offense has the momentum in this series. Now we will see if they can take command of this 6-game slate heading into the weekend on Friday night.