When the Cotuit lineup card was released ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Y-D Red Sox, a familiar name was on it, but not for his usual position. Ryan Buckler (Florida Atlantic) has primarily been a reliever through his first two seasons of college and summer ball. However, against the Red Sox, the Marstons Mills, Massachusetts, native got the start.
“I got a day’s notice. Coach O’Connor called me yesterday and asked if I could start, and I said yes,” Buckler said. “The changeup helped me a lot today. I threw it more than ever, and it worked well. I got my one strikeout with three changeups in the at-bat.”
While he only punched out one batter, the right-handed pitcher was highly efficient on the bump, throwing five innings of one-run ball on just 56 pitches. That pitch count may seem low, which it is, but Buckler has always been an efficient arm, dating back to last summer when he played in the NECBL and with Cotuit.
When asked what’s helped him be efficient, Buckler said getting ahead in counts. He feels more confident when he can get an early advantage on the opposition, allowing him to force batters into what he wants to do.
Buckler's only blemish came in the first inning when he surrendered a leadoff single. The batter stole second and third base before scoring on an RBI groundout.
From the second to the fifth inning, he gave up just two hits while walking nobody and fanning a batter.
“We got a little bit more out of Buckler than we thought we were going to get, but he throws it across (the plate),” Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs said. “If you throw it across and you get three strikes in the strike zone, you’ve got a chance.”
Cotuit’s 8-2 victory over the Red Sox was huge in building momentum for the second half of the summer. It was even more special to the Buckler family, who came to watch their son pitch for the hometown team.
Ryan grew up attending Kettleers camps and always being around Lowell Park as a fan. So, when he got his shot to play for Cotuit, Buckler made the most of it.
He was signed to the team at the end of last summer and pitched well. His best outing came in Game 1 of the West Division Championship Series, where the 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound hurler threw five shutout innings in a win over Bourne.
Now in his second summer with the Ketts, Buckler continues to shine on the bump. After his outing Tuesday, the rising junior holds a 0.77 ERA with five strikeouts to no walks in 11 2/3 innings.
“It’s awesome (playing for Cotuit). I remember coming to these games and running after foul balls and stuff,” he said. “My family loves coming to games, so it’s cool. A lot of my family came out today to support me, and it was great.”
Buckler will be vital to the pitching staff down the stretch, with several arms leaving due to their pitch and innings limit. While he's been effective as a starter and out of the bullpen, the plan for the right-handed pitcher isn’t set in stone.
Having the versatility to do either is valuable, but Buckler says he should find out his role in the next week or so.
