After an impressive junior campaign that helped him earn preseason All-America honors, Jason Urquidez expected big things.
The hard-throwing right-hander opened the season in the starting rotation, hoping to build on last year's 12-3 record. But the first couple weeks didn't go as planned.
Urquidez lasted just five games as a starter before being moved to the bullpen. His struggles coincided with ASU's 6-9 start.
"He started out a little shaky, but that's how the whole team had been," ASU senior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch said.
As ASU improved, so did Urquidez.
He found his groove in the bullpen, becoming the perfect replacement for the team's tiring starters.
The biggest change for Urquidez has been his mechanics. After struggling earlier in the season, Urquidez has ironed out the problems and appears ready to contribute more consistently.
"I've been feeling good ever since I've been closing," Urquidez said.
On Saturday, Urquidez worked as a starter again after an injury to sophomore right-hander Zechry Zinicola caused changes in the rotation. The decision wasn't made until that morning, giving Urquidez little time to prepare.
Urquidez had his best start of the season. He pitched into the eighth inning and allowed just one run in ASU's 2-1 triumph over then-No. 23 USC.
"I just took the little bit of time I had to get mentally prepared and get back into that starter mode," said Urquidez, who will return to the bullpen for this weekend's three-game series against Wright State. "I felt like I was on it. I thought I handled it pretty well."
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
