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OMAHA, Neb. — Georgia baseball’s ability to bash and score runs is the calling card of a team playing in its first College World Series since 2008.
It’s not all about star catcher Daniel Jackson and company hitting home runs that has made them hard to beat this season.
They’ve had some underrated pitching as well including from senior Caden Aoki.
Here are three things to know about the 23-year old Aoki who transferred from USC after last season.
Aoki was used mostly in relief until April 26 when he pitched 6 innings, giving up just one run at Ole Miss. He’s started six of the last seven games heading into Omaha.
He is 9-1 with a 4.04 ERA with 3 saves.
Aoki was named a second-team, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American and was a finalist for the Stopper of the Year Award.
Aoki has just 27 walks to 104 strikeouts this season even though he doesn't throw as hard as other Bulldogs.
“I’m confident he’s going to hit his spot every time,” Jackson said.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Aoki, from Huntington Beach, Calif, has a nickname given to him by coach Wes Johnson.
Doc.
“I think he just comes up with nicknames,” Aoki said. “I actually didn’t know what Doc meant for a couple of months actually. I figured it out now. I love it.”
Johnson said Aoki’s ability to locate pitches is why he’s Doc.
“He’s precision, right?'' Johnson said. “Doctors are usually pretty precise at what they do and that’s what he is.”
Aoki is completing his fifth college season.
He was on a College World Series team with Notre Dame in 2022 when he pitched in just four games and 9.1 innings. He was injured and took a medical redshirt.
Aoki watched the CWS at home from the couch instead of making the the trip to Omaha that season.
Aoki transferred close to home at USC which he called his dream school and left as a grad transfer. After what he called “three great years,” Aoki got a call from Johnson when he was in the portal after going 6-4 with a 3.99 ERA last season.
“It kind of feels like a full circle moment for me right now being able to actually play for a team in Omaha,” he said. “It’s super surreal and I’m super, super excited about it.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Three things to know about Georgia baseball pitcher Caden Aoki
Continue reading...
It’s not all about star catcher Daniel Jackson and company hitting home runs that has made them hard to beat this season.
They’ve had some underrated pitching as well including from senior Caden Aoki.
Here are three things to know about the 23-year old Aoki who transferred from USC after last season.
Caden Aoki has come up big in different ways
Aoki was used mostly in relief until April 26 when he pitched 6 innings, giving up just one run at Ole Miss. He’s started six of the last seven games heading into Omaha.
He is 9-1 with a 4.04 ERA with 3 saves.
Aoki was named a second-team, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American and was a finalist for the Stopper of the Year Award.
Aoki has just 27 walks to 104 strikeouts this season even though he doesn't throw as hard as other Bulldogs.
“I’m confident he’s going to hit his spot every time,” Jackson said.
His coach calls him ‘Doc”
The 6-foot, 185-pound Aoki, from Huntington Beach, Calif, has a nickname given to him by coach Wes Johnson.
Doc.
“I think he just comes up with nicknames,” Aoki said. “I actually didn’t know what Doc meant for a couple of months actually. I figured it out now. I love it.”
Johnson said Aoki’s ability to locate pitches is why he’s Doc.
“He’s precision, right?'' Johnson said. “Doctors are usually pretty precise at what they do and that’s what he is.”
This is his second time on a College World Series team
Aoki is completing his fifth college season.
He was on a College World Series team with Notre Dame in 2022 when he pitched in just four games and 9.1 innings. He was injured and took a medical redshirt.
Aoki watched the CWS at home from the couch instead of making the the trip to Omaha that season.
Aoki transferred close to home at USC which he called his dream school and left as a grad transfer. After what he called “three great years,” Aoki got a call from Johnson when he was in the portal after going 6-4 with a 3.99 ERA last season.
“It kind of feels like a full circle moment for me right now being able to actually play for a team in Omaha,” he said. “It’s super surreal and I’m super, super excited about it.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Three things to know about Georgia baseball pitcher Caden Aoki
Continue reading...
