LAURINBURG — Davis O’Brien is locked in.
St. Andrews University’s left-handed ace has recorded shutouts in his first three starts of the season. He has yet to allow a run through 21 innings of work.
O’Brien’s latest feat was a 2-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Grace College on Friday. O’Brien yielded a season-low two hits in the win.
“Normally, I’m one of those pitchers that takes a few innings to get in a groove,” O’Brien said. “If I can settle in, it’s normally a tough day for the opposing team.”
O’Brien settled in quickly on Friday. And he kept going despite not having run support until the bottom of the fifth inning. The Knights scored both of their runs in the bottom of that inning — the first run scored from third base on a groundout, and the second run scored when Jaebion Mitchell drew a bases-loaded walk.
“The way it’s been early on in the season, if we can score a run or two we’re set,” O’Brien said. “It wasn’t looking good, but once we scored I felt safe out there.”
Davis, a Kernersville native who prepped at Glenn High, is off to a hot start this year after assuming his role at the top of the rotation last season.
“I’ve been trying to attack every hitter with all of my pitches,” O’Brien said. “If I can throw them for strikes I’ll be in a good place. It’s showing out there.
“For me it’s big to locate my fastball in all quadrants of the strike zone,” he added. “If I can do that, my secondary pitches — changeup, curveball, slider — I can build off of that.”
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