Erla Interrupted
4/17/2020 11:49:00 AM | Baseball
Spartan baseball pitcher Mason Erla has unfinished business on mound.
By Megan Landon
For MSUSpartans.com
When Michigan State baseball right-handed pitcher Mason Erla stepped onto the mound against Troy back on March 6, in Pensacola, Florida, he had no idea it would be for the last time this season. He went seven innings, striking out a career-high 12 and lowering his ERA to 1.04 after nearly six innings without a hit.
Erla, a redshirt junior, was feeling strong. And then, the season ended, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Big Ten and then the NCAA, cancel the rest of the season.
Still, Erla can take solace in a strong 2020 season. He finished 2-0, with 42 strikeouts, in a team-high 26 innings pitched. He finished second in the Big Ten and tied for 10th in the NCAA in strikeouts, among several other top 10 statistical marks in the Big Ten and top 50 in the NCAA.
He credits his increased his velocity, which came from deliberate workouts last summer. He did not play in a summer league, trying to up his arm strength. It worked, as his velocity increased to 93-95 mph consistently and even touched 96 mph last fall.
"I haven't had to worry about, 'Oh is my velocity good enough,' since then my velocity has been good, so I've been able to work on my other pitches as well," said Erla, a native of Cass City, Mich. "Which has really helped in all aspects of my pitching."
Erla also worked on his confidence. In the 2020 season, his approach to batters and demeanor was noticeably different on the mound. He wanted to prove that he was better than 5.49 ERA from last season.
"I think the asset to me is that I'm very level-headed, so whether it's going good or bad, I typically don't show much emotion," Erla said. "This year I had more of a mindset of attacking, just kind of a cockiness, like 'I'm better than you' basically, but I wouldn't really show it, that was really more so how I felt."
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Junior left-handed pitcher Jesse Heikkinen remembers Erla's quietness in his first few years at MSU. Now, Erla isn't afraid to call people out and hold them accountable. His teammates respect and look up to him because he's more outspoken, leads by example and is comfortable being the center of attention.
"You know what you're going to get out of him and his natural talents are amazing, but he's so competitive that it's like a different person every Friday when he pitches, I just look up to that because it's the same thing every time," said Heikkinen, who is also Erla's roommate. "He just throws strikes, and he throws hard. It's like, 'Here it is, try and hit it.'Â
"And when you're that aggressive and going at guys, that puts the pressure on the hitter because you know what you're going to get — he's going to come straight at you with his best stuff and the hitter just has to try and do what they can. And a lot of times they can't do anything."
MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. believes Erla showed glimpses of brilliance throughout the 2019 season. Boss recalled Erla's 9-inning shutout against Indiana State, under the lights at McLane Stadium, where the Spartans won in extra innings on April 5. He always knew Erla's potential, and this season he was able to execute it.
"He's in control. There's no question about that," Boss said. "There's no situation that's too big for him and I think for me, that as a coach really puts my mind at ease the most. I've got a lot of faith in Mason, got a lot of confidence in Mason and again, he's able to make a big pitch when he needs to and he's able to get a strikeout when he needs to, and those are two things that from my perspective that really make me feel good when he's on the mound. That again combined with the fact that there's not a situation too big for him mentally where he's going to feel too much pressure or he's going to be too nervous to handle."
Along with his increase in velocity, Boss said the spin rate on Erla's fastball sets him apart from other pitchers - making it a true strikeout pitch.
"Velocity is good, but there are plenty guys that throw hard that can't get anyone out that can't miss a barrel so he's able to do that," Boss said. "He throws three pitches for strikes, the slider is very good, the changeup is very good … gets ahead in the count, he gets everything that he needs to do to get guys out. He's able to locate his fastball, so you know with all that combined with the velocity really makes him a big-time arm and I think a really, really high prospect."
With the season coming to abrupt end on March 12, and Erla being eligible for the MLB draft, there are a lot of unknowns to what he will do next. He came to MSU with the goal of getting drafted and playing professionally.Â
Spartan pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde is assured whether Erla goes pro or returns to MSU, his pitcher will be prepared. Erla, an interdisciplinary studies major, can use his remaining eligibility at MSU to stay no matter what happens in the draft.
"The way he was throwing was putting him in a position to make him a really high pick," Van Ameyde said. "The buzz was coming, and guys were coming out, he was really being set up for a start in another week or two down the road in terms of an opportunity in front of a lot of guys."
Van Ameyde was referencing how there were over 20 scouts at the aforementioned Troy game on March 6. Also on the horizon was a possible showdown with Minnesota's top pitching ace, Max Meyer, when the Spartans were scheduled to face the Golden Gophers on March 27 that was generating a lot of buzz among not just scouts, but fans as well.
"There's nothing we can do about that now, but he was putting himself on that track," Van Ameyde said. "I think at this point there's a giant unknown because of what's going on across the country.
"Ideally, we're able to give him an opportunity to show scouts that what he did that first month of the season is what he is and what he's capable of, and that allows him to put himself in a real good position to get drafted high... there's so much to like about this guy that if they could just get an opportunity to see how far he's come from a year ago, I think they're going to love him."
Â
For MSUSpartans.com
When Michigan State baseball right-handed pitcher Mason Erla stepped onto the mound against Troy back on March 6, in Pensacola, Florida, he had no idea it would be for the last time this season. He went seven innings, striking out a career-high 12 and lowering his ERA to 1.04 after nearly six innings without a hit.
Erla, a redshirt junior, was feeling strong. And then, the season ended, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Big Ten and then the NCAA, cancel the rest of the season.
Still, Erla can take solace in a strong 2020 season. He finished 2-0, with 42 strikeouts, in a team-high 26 innings pitched. He finished second in the Big Ten and tied for 10th in the NCAA in strikeouts, among several other top 10 statistical marks in the Big Ten and top 50 in the NCAA.
He credits his increased his velocity, which came from deliberate workouts last summer. He did not play in a summer league, trying to up his arm strength. It worked, as his velocity increased to 93-95 mph consistently and even touched 96 mph last fall.
"I haven't had to worry about, 'Oh is my velocity good enough,' since then my velocity has been good, so I've been able to work on my other pitches as well," said Erla, a native of Cass City, Mich. "Which has really helped in all aspects of my pitching."
Erla also worked on his confidence. In the 2020 season, his approach to batters and demeanor was noticeably different on the mound. He wanted to prove that he was better than 5.49 ERA from last season.
"I think the asset to me is that I'm very level-headed, so whether it's going good or bad, I typically don't show much emotion," Erla said. "This year I had more of a mindset of attacking, just kind of a cockiness, like 'I'm better than you' basically, but I wouldn't really show it, that was really more so how I felt."
Â
Junior left-handed pitcher Jesse Heikkinen remembers Erla's quietness in his first few years at MSU. Now, Erla isn't afraid to call people out and hold them accountable. His teammates respect and look up to him because he's more outspoken, leads by example and is comfortable being the center of attention.
"You know what you're going to get out of him and his natural talents are amazing, but he's so competitive that it's like a different person every Friday when he pitches, I just look up to that because it's the same thing every time," said Heikkinen, who is also Erla's roommate. "He just throws strikes, and he throws hard. It's like, 'Here it is, try and hit it.'Â
"And when you're that aggressive and going at guys, that puts the pressure on the hitter because you know what you're going to get — he's going to come straight at you with his best stuff and the hitter just has to try and do what they can. And a lot of times they can't do anything."
MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. believes Erla showed glimpses of brilliance throughout the 2019 season. Boss recalled Erla's 9-inning shutout against Indiana State, under the lights at McLane Stadium, where the Spartans won in extra innings on April 5. He always knew Erla's potential, and this season he was able to execute it.
"He's in control. There's no question about that," Boss said. "There's no situation that's too big for him and I think for me, that as a coach really puts my mind at ease the most. I've got a lot of faith in Mason, got a lot of confidence in Mason and again, he's able to make a big pitch when he needs to and he's able to get a strikeout when he needs to, and those are two things that from my perspective that really make me feel good when he's on the mound. That again combined with the fact that there's not a situation too big for him mentally where he's going to feel too much pressure or he's going to be too nervous to handle."
Along with his increase in velocity, Boss said the spin rate on Erla's fastball sets him apart from other pitchers - making it a true strikeout pitch.
"Velocity is good, but there are plenty guys that throw hard that can't get anyone out that can't miss a barrel so he's able to do that," Boss said. "He throws three pitches for strikes, the slider is very good, the changeup is very good … gets ahead in the count, he gets everything that he needs to do to get guys out. He's able to locate his fastball, so you know with all that combined with the velocity really makes him a big-time arm and I think a really, really high prospect."
With the season coming to abrupt end on March 12, and Erla being eligible for the MLB draft, there are a lot of unknowns to what he will do next. He came to MSU with the goal of getting drafted and playing professionally.Â
Spartan pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde is assured whether Erla goes pro or returns to MSU, his pitcher will be prepared. Erla, an interdisciplinary studies major, can use his remaining eligibility at MSU to stay no matter what happens in the draft.
"The way he was throwing was putting him in a position to make him a really high pick," Van Ameyde said. "The buzz was coming, and guys were coming out, he was really being set up for a start in another week or two down the road in terms of an opportunity in front of a lot of guys."
Van Ameyde was referencing how there were over 20 scouts at the aforementioned Troy game on March 6. Also on the horizon was a possible showdown with Minnesota's top pitching ace, Max Meyer, when the Spartans were scheduled to face the Golden Gophers on March 27 that was generating a lot of buzz among not just scouts, but fans as well.
"There's nothing we can do about that now, but he was putting himself on that track," Van Ameyde said. "I think at this point there's a giant unknown because of what's going on across the country.
"Ideally, we're able to give him an opportunity to show scouts that what he did that first month of the season is what he is and what he's capable of, and that allows him to put himself in a real good position to get drafted high... there's so much to like about this guy that if they could just get an opportunity to see how far he's come from a year ago, I think they're going to love him."
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