Caden Thelen's growth on the mound provides boost for Portland baseball
Caden Thelen preferred to be patrolling center field and making plays when the ball came his way last spring for the Portland baseball team.
But Thelen knew he would need to take on an additional role this season for the Raiders to be successful.
And the lefty has provided that extra boost with his presence on the mound.
Thelen has become a key pitcher for Portland after not logging many innings last season. He delivered another strong outing Monday night while helping the Raiders open the Diamond Classic with a 5-1 victory over Williamston at Kircher/Municipal Park.
Thelen hurled a complete game and struck out eight as Portland advanced to face Grand Ledge in a quarterfinal Thursday.
"He's a gamer," Portland coach Chris Trierweiler said. "He just wants the ball. We were counting his pitch count and I would probably have had to grab a tow truck to pull him off the mound to tell you the truth. That's what you really want to inbred in these young men is to be a gamer. It's hard to teach.
"Once you get guys that want the ball like that, they're valuable. They're just priceless. He was definitely a gamer."
Thelen knew he could be a valuable presence on the mound for the Raiders being a lefty. He took pitching lessons in the offseason, which have helped him find his way.
"I was like if I'm going to pitch this year I've got to get going to work so all winter I had pitching lessons and it's starting to pay off," Thelen said.
One other thing that's helped Thelen is Red Bull. He has made it a habit to drink a 12-ounce size of the energy drink before his starts.
"They lock me in," Thelen said.
Thelen was locked in throughout Monday's performance, allowing just two hits. Williamston got its lone run in the second inning with a swipe of home. The Hornets had just four base runners the final five innings and none that advanced past second.
Marc Nobis went 3-for-4 and had an RBI in each the third and seventh innings. Thelen had a key RBI as part of a three-run seventh that helped Portland extend its lead to 5-1.
"It's fun when we win big games like that, especially over here and later in the season," Trierweiler said.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Caden Thelen shines for Portland baseball in win over Williamston
