Jul. 20—Mack Crowley was expecting to pitch the second half of the summer season with the Northwoods League’s franchise in Green Bay, Wisconsin, his hometown.
But when the Mankato MoonDogs called with a couple of weeks left in the first half of the season, Crowley jumped at the chance to play in Mankato, which he called his “second home.”
“Going to college here, it’s easy to come back here and play,” Crowley said. “This is what I was looking for because I think there’s going to be some opportunities that can be earned (at Minnesota State).”
Crowley, who took a redshirt season as a freshman at Minnesota State last spring, is back on the mound as a starting pitcher with the MoonDogs. He wasn’t expecting to redshirt, but he agreed with the decision.
“It was a great time to get better,” said Crowley, who worked on mechanics and mastering all of his pitches.
As a redshirt, Crowley threw five days per week, with work against live batters once per week. He’s always had confidence in a fastball, but he’s spent the last few months trying to improve his curveball.
Crowley returned to Green Bay after the spring semester and pitched some games for the local amateur team to stay sharp.
With the MoonDogs, Crowley has appeared in five games and pitched 19 innings, posting a 2.37 earned-run average. He’s allowed 13 hits and nine walks with 12 strikeouts, and opponents are batting .191 against him.
Crowley pitched four scoreless innings against St. Cloud last week, his second start of the season.
MoonDogs manager Danny Kneeland said he was glad that Crowley was available when another pitcher was injured. Kneeland said he didn’t know much about Crowley, but he liked what he saw.
“He’s been awesome,” Kneeland said. “He’s got a good three-pitch mix that keeps hitters off-balance. He’s not afraid to throw any pitch at any time.”
Crowley is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday at home against the Minnesota Mud Puppies.
“It was a little weird to pitch (in the Northwoods League) because I didn’t pitch any games for so long, but I adapted,” Crowley said. “I had never pitched at the college level, so I was pretty nervous out there. Now I’m a lot more comfortable.
“I just want to do what I can to battle out of trouble and help us win.”
Crowley will likely have a chance to pitch for the MoonDogs again next summer. Both Kneeland and Crowley said they would welcome that opportunity.
“He’s got a chance to pitch some quality innings for the Mavericks next spring,” Kneeland said. “We would love to have him back here next summer.”
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.