Waves Ride Puckett’s Zeros Streak

A.J. Puckett spent draft day on the Pepperdine practice field. Not his draft day, mind you, but the day of the NFL draft when his friend Austin Hooper, a tight end out of Stanford, was picked in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons.

“He’s a big boy,” Puckett said of the 6-foot-4, 248-pound Hooper. “He’s a good best friend to have.”

Puckett built his friendship with Hooper (whose younger brother Justin is a freshman on UCLA’s baseball team) back at De La Salle High in Danville, Calif., famous nationally for its football program.

Puckett played two seasons on the De La Salle football team, one of the nation’s strongest programs. “It’s a pretty big deal, everyone knows about it,” Puckett said. “Everyone is there on Fridays. If you watch practice, it’s hectic—guys get after it, it’s invigorating. You can see why the program is so successful, everyone’s working so hard . . . It’s a championship atmosphere.”

There was a bit of wistfulness in Puckett’s voice as he discussed his football past, and he was genuinely disappointed that practice and exams forced him to miss Hooper’s draft party. He made sure to call and FaceTime his pal and enjoy the moment from afar, saying he shed “tears of joy” for his friend.

Puckett’s football career ended after his sophomore year of high school, and not just because the righthander had a future in baseball. Puckett, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound junior, says his dad convinced him to give up football after injuries Puckett sustained in an accident that summer, when he suffered serious head trauma while horsing around with some friends in the back of a car on a trip to San Diego. Puckett’s injury was so serious, doctors put him into a medically-induced coma for two weeks to slow his blood loss, and he still has metal plates his skull.

Lucky, In A Way

“I was very fortunate, I walked away unscathed long-term,” he said. “I was cleared to play after four months of rehab.”

Scouts will pour over Puckett’s medicals because he’s emerged this spring as one of college baseball’s best pitchers. He ranked fifth in the nation in ERA through his first 10 starts at 1.01, with just two runs allowed—none earned—in his last 51 2/3 innings, with 39 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings entering May. He was 7-2, 1.01 in 71 innings overall with 75 strikeouts and 16 walks allowed while limiting hitters to a .189 average.

Puckett points to strength gains from the Waves’ new strength coach, Stewart Gonzalez, that has helped his stamina and 91-94 mph fastball’s velocity, and first-year pitching coach Rolando Garza for helping hone his curveball.

“His breaking ball always has been a good pitch, with spin and rotation and good depth,” Garza said. “He’s throwing it a little bit firmer and it’s breaking a little bit later for hitters to recognize. But as much as the breaking ball’s improvement, what’s really created the forum for him to improve is his fastball command. He’s working it down with some angle, he’s learned how to command it up and down as well as laterally in the strike zone. And his changeup is also above-average.”

Puckett’s three-pitch mix and improved command has led to his scoreless streak, which included his first complete game shutout in his fifth start of the string, a 12-strikeout, no-walk seven-hitter against Portland.

“He did an incredible job in the offseason and this spring on his weight program and got stronger,” Garza said. “His process improved. He got on a long-toss program, continued to work on the nuances, his balance, his breathing and his focal training. His motor is what makes him a special player—his energy and focus on a daily basis.”

Puckett says he’s focused on helping the Waves try to win West Coast Conference under first-year head coach Rick Hirtensteiner. The draft will take care of itself, he said, knowing he’ll answer questions about both his jump in performance (he had a 4.35 ERA last season) and his injury history. He’s still expected to be drafted in the first three rounds and hopes to get another chance to pitch at Oakland’s O.Co Coliseum, where he grew up living and dying with the Athletics.

“I’m an A’s fan, not some fair weather fan like some Bay Area fans,” Puckett fairly sneered in the direction of Giants fans. “I grew up watching the A’s, we had season tickets. I loved watching Tim Hudson pitch and tried to model my mechanics after him. . . . I still tell my friends O.Co best stadium in baseball. It may not be the nicest but that baseball field is where home is.”