SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Collin Quinn is not the 6-foot-6, hard-throwing left-hander the college baseball programs pursue.
The JSerra senior is a 6-2, side-arming, right-handed winner.
Quinn shut out Orange Lutheran on two hits Wednesday to lead the Lions to a 1-0 win in a Trinity League game at JSerra.
JSerra is in first place in league with a 7-2 record. Orange Lutheran is tied for second, at 5-3, with Santa Margarita.
JSerra, last year’s league champion, has clinched winning the three-game season series against Orange Lutheran, having also beaten the Lancers on Tuesday, 5-2. The teams play the series finale Friday at 7 p.m. at Hart Park in Orange.
In the Register’s Orange County top 10, JSerra (18-6 overall) is ranked No. 1 and Orange Lutheran (16-5) is No. 2. In the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 poll, Orange Lutheran is No. 1 and JSerra is No. 2.
Quinn has an 8-0 record with a 0.89 ERA, so why so little recruiting interest?
“I just think it’s the weird delivery,” he said.
His side-arm style has evolved – he was a hard-hitting first baseman as a freshman. He recently added a lower release point on his slider.
“I mix it up now, so it’s kind of tricky,” Quinn said.
It tricked Orange Lutheran. Quinn no-hit the Lancers for 4 1/3 innings. No Orange Lutheran players advanced beyond second base, and only two got that far.
Lutheran pitcher Chase Burica was very good, too. He struck out out five, walked one and gave up five hits. Burica, a 6-6 senior lefty who signed with Creighton, is 5-1 with a 0.84 ERA and 47 strikeouts against only six walks in 50 innings.
JSerra scored in the third inning. Matt Maskar led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second base on Andrew Swanson’s sacrifice bunt, took third on an errant pickoff throw and scored on Davis Wendzel’s double.
That was all of the scoring Quinn needed.
JSerra coach Brett Kay, who got his 200th career coaching win Tuesday, is as relaxed as a Trinity League coach can be when Quinn is on the mound.
“He gives us a chance to win every single time,” Kay said. “Tonight he was at his best against a really good baseball team.”
Kay is frustrated that no prime college program has made Quinn a substantial offer. Kay is confident that Quinn’s consistent success will attract attention.
“We’re working hard to find him a place,” Kay said. “That kid can flat-out pitch.”
After Friday’s game against Orange Lutheran, the Lions play two league games against St. John Bosco next week. They conclude the regular season with three league games against Servite the following week, which is the final week of the regular season.
Orange Lutheran plays Mater Dei three times next week and Santa Margarita three times the following week.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
