By Jeremy McDonald
DALLAS, Ore.– Dallas’ Landen Peirce has been efficient this year as a sophomore.
In roughly nine starts this year, Peirce has gone the distance three times, came within an out to a fourth and only gone less five innings once. He’s pitched 57-and-two-third innings and is hovering around that 50 strikeout mark coming down to one last regular start in the coming days.
Peirce credits his approach to taking care of himself. That arm care that pitchers focus on to make sure they can be on the top of their game whenever they’re called upon to perform. It’s something that he’s taken seriously over the years.
“Arm care is a huge thing for me…it’s helped me and it’s proving to be where I am now,” Peirce said of the importance of arm care.
The Dragon pitcher has embraced this idea of being an ‘underdog’. He may be undersized and he may not be a strong arm, but he can locate his pitches. And with that location, he’s able to work his stuff and let his defense work behind him if batters make contact against him.
“I was never really a big kid and that’s part of it. I kind of overlooked in that way and I never threw that hard. I was just more of a location guy and I’ve taken advantage of that because I can locate. I’m getting calls that I’m a little bit off, but I’m hitting that spot consistently, it helps me there but also just being in the zone and attacking guys is what you got to be,” Peirce starts. “It’s building off, ‘how can I do this with every single pitch that I have?’ I got to have a deep arsenal that always needs to be where I need it to be. it’s a lot of preparation before games, after games,” “I do stretches for my arm and keep my arm as healthy as I can. I do it religiously”
And with the twilight of his sophomore year here and them in the hunt for a 5A Playoff push, it’s now just a matter of just being ready. Being ready for who’s in front of them and getting themselves to that next level and play as brothers once it’s game time.
“It’s just getting ready for anyone. It’s how we prepare…We’re going to be there in that playoff run, we’re going to make playoffs. That’s our goal is how do we get ourselves to that next level and play with our brothers. These are all my brothers and how can I play that next game for them,” Peirce.
Dallas wraps up their Mid-Willamette Conference series with Central on Friday before closing out the regular season against Corvallis next week.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
