North Carolina Wins Pitching Duel Between Zac Gallen and Thomas Hatch

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—No. 20 North Carolina took a 2-1 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon. Junior righthanders Thomas Hatch (Oklahoma State) and Zac Gallen (UNC) went head to head, showing off promising stuff and command.

Gallen entered the game coming off a strong Opening Day start at UCLA, in which, according to scouts at the game, his fastball touched 95 and he struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings. This Friday night, Gallen’s fastball sat at 89-91 and touched 92 early before sitting at 87-90 later in the outing.

The New Jersey native is a solid early-round draft prospect due to his impressive command of his four-pitch arsenal. His best offspeed pitch on Friday was his cutter, which showed sharp, late break and of which he had feel to both sides of the plate. Gallen had particular success with his cutter running down and away from righthanded hitters.

The 6-foot-2, 191-pound righthander was mostly on top of and behind his cutter, but he sometimes got around the pitch, and Oklahoma State’s righthanded hitters were able to track the break of the pitch early, ripping hard fouls down the left-field line on multiple occasions.

Gallen also throws a curveball with more vertical break than his cutter. The pitch was effective when Gallen used it to the back foot of lefthanded hitters. He also mixed in a changeup with heavy arm side run down and away from lefties.

Gallen has a short, repeatable arm action and an athletic, well-coordinated lower half. He repeated his stride well on Friday, landing slightly closed off, with his front foot planting with stability. His arm consistently flies through a three-quarters slot and finishes across his body, though he decelerates well and gets over his front side well.

North Carolina’s ace is a solid draft prospect, and his track record of command (2.3 walks per nine innings in 184 innings) and the number of weapons at his disposal could encourage a team to take a chance on him in the top five rounds. When his velocity isn’t at its best, Gallen has to be very fine, and so he’ll have to continue to prove that his command is good enough to overcome his lack of an overpowering fastball. On Friday, the only run he allowed came on a home run from Garrett Benge, when Gallen caught a little too much of the plate with a fastball. He wound up pitching seven innings, giving up three hits and three walks with nine strikeouts.

Gallen’s path to the major leagues will likely hinge on the continued improvement of his above-average command, more consistent fastball velocity and the development of his changeup, which has the ingredients of an effective weak contact-inducing pitch.

For Oklahoma State, Hatch also showed impressive tools, with a loose arm and three promising pitches. Hatch has a 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame with a high waist and wide, meaty shoulders. His body looks the part of a major league prospect.

Hatch’s delivery begins with a controlled leg lift, and he swings his hips open as he powers into foot strike, showing the ability to keep his kinetic chain connected and maximize the power in both his lower and upper halves. His arm action starts with his hand going down and wrapping slightly behind his back. He found his lower three-quarters arm slot consistently on Friday night, and he’s very clean through release.

Hatch’s fastball worked at 89-92 mph throughout his five-plus innings, touching 93 at times, and once reaching 94 on one of Baseball America’s radar guns. The pitch featured late sink at times, and Hatch showed the ability to navigate the arm-side part of the strike zone well. He had feel down and to his glove side at times, but it was not pinpoint control.

The Cowboys’ ace also showed two very promising offspeed pitches. His slider showed tight spin throughout the outing, flashing late darting action down and to his glove side. At its best, Hatch’s slider looked unhittable, with powerful spin and the ability to compete for swinging strikes in the strike zone. The slider backed up a few times later in the outing, showing less depth and looking like more of a spinner than a slider. Hatch had feel for his changeup early in the outing, flashing fading action with the pitch as he located it down and away from lefthanded hitters.

Hatch, a redshirt sophomore out of Tulsa’s Jenks High, has been on the radar for quite some time, ranking as the No. 128 in the 2013 BA 500. He has a chance to put himself in early round contention again in 2016, should he continue to perform and maintain command of his three-pitch mix. Friday, he tossed five innings, giving up seven hits and one run while walking two and striking out five.

While Hatch and Gallen’s pitching duel defined the contest on Friday night, other players also showed intriguing tools:

• Tyler Ramirez, Jr., of, North Carolina: Ramirez took competitive at-bats all night. In his first trip to the plate, he smacked an outside offspeed pitch to left center field for an RBI-double. Next time up, he hit a screamer up the middle for a single. He then worked an impressive walk against Hatch, showing a selective approach and the ability to recognize which pitches he could do damage with. He struck out looking in his final trip to the plate.
• Tyler Buffett, Jr., rhp, Oklahoma State: Buffett showed a hammer breaking ball, with excellent spin and late three-quarter break. He also pitched at 89-91 and touched 92, and showed a solid changeup. Buffett has a sturdy pitcher’s frame but a reliever delivery. He has a chance to prove himself as a solid relief prospect this spring.
• Donnie Walton, Sr., ss, Oklahoma State: The son of Oklahoma State assistant (and former Oral Roberts head coach) Rob, Walton showed solid foot speed at shortstop, the ability to make the backhand grab and an impressive internal clock. He also showed off average arm strength.