In January, if you asked the Long Beach State baseball coaches if they expected sophomore Darren McCaughan to be in the starting rotation they would have said no.
McCaughan had the height to be a starting pitcher, but straight out of high school he didn’t have the endurance to start and needed to polish his mechanics.
So, when he arrived to fall ball 20 pounds heavier and with a few new pitches, he started to turn heads when he stepped onto the mound.
Garrett Hampson told the Daily 49er a week before the season started that McCaughan was a guy fans needed to keep an eye out for after seeing his progress during the offseason. So, it came as no surprise when the right-hander performed well after he got thrown into the opening day game against Holy Cross Feb. 19.
“Leading up to the opening weekend I didn’t know I was going to start,” McCaughan said. “A week before the season they told me I was going to start, then [Chris] Mathewson was hurt so I pitched that Friday and ended up settling into the Saturday role.”
Mathewson was the projected Friday starter and reigning Big West Freshman player of the year, but due to a leg injury, he wasn’t able to throw.
In that game, McCaughan solidified himself in the starting rotation while setting new career highs pitching seven innings, allowing only three hits, one run while striking out six. LBSU went on to win 7-1.
McCaughan has been sensational as the team’s Saturday starter, boasting a 7-1 record in 11 starts while posting a 2.31 ERA. His seven wins are second in the Big West Conference behind UC Santa Barbara’s Shane Bieber.
As a local from Downey, McCaughan went to Los Alamitos High School and grew up watching Dirtbags baseball. He didn’t hesitate in accepting the offer when Long Beach State gave him the chance to play for the Dirtbags.
“I started going to Dirtbags games at Blair Field in middle school,” McCaughan said. “The attraction of this place, it’s a great place. [After seeing] the guys who’ve come through here, it’s always been a place I wanted to come.”
That desire to be a Dirtbag has shown through with his work ethic and his willingness to get better, while having just the right mixture of leadership and confidence to be great.
“He’s earned everything he’s got,” LBSU pitching coach Mike Steele said. “He’s got the perfect blend of self-confidence and he’s got ego, but his personal ego is never greater than the team. He’s a selfless teammate and sets an example by what he says. He knows how to hold guys accountable.”
While his work ethic has gotten him where he is, McCaughan never forgets to have fun along the way. That includes a friendly competition between Mathewson and senior starter Tanner Brown over who will cut their hair first between starters.
“We all just started growing our hair,” McCaughan said. “We all haven’t gotten a haircut since last year, so we always challenge each other saying ‘No, you’re going to cut your hair first.’ I think it’s just a fun thing and more people [on the team] are starting to do it.”
On days he starts, McCaughan goes through the same routine from the time he wakes up to the time he steps onto the mound for the first pitch.
“I always have In-N-Out the night before,” McCaughan said with a smile. “And I always wear a Batman shirt in [batting practice] before the game. And I do the same thing throughout the day, every time.”
McCaughan’s performance this year has been getting the national spotlight for awards. He was named to the midseason watch list for the USA Baseball 39th annual Golden Spikes Award. He is also on the watch list for the 2016 National Pitcher of the Year award presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I think that stuff is cool,” McCaughan said. “I don’t really look at it. I hear about it from friends and family. Some people may get complacent from that, but I use it as motivation to get better.”
The Dirtbags are 8-3 in games that McCaughan got the start and has led the team to a 26-16 overall record and a 9-6 conference record.