OTTAWA- Teammates on both the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Junior National Team, Arizona State Sophomore Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, ON) and Stanford Freshman Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, ON) will go toe-to-toe Friday night (9pm ET/6pm PT) in Palo Alto, California in a key Pac-12 Conference match-up.
“It'll be exciting to start against Cal,” said Kellogg, a left-handed starter for the Sun Devils. “He was a great guy to play with because you knew he was always going to compete with you on everything.
“It'll be nice to take that friendly competition from a game of ‘flip’ to a college match up.”
Quantrill, a right-handed starter for the Cardinal, is also looking forward to facing off against a person he considers a good friend and jokes that the pre-game festivities should have a little Canadian flavour.
“It’s a pretty unique opportunity getting to go up against a good friend and fellow Canadian,” said Quantrill. “I’m looking forward to it, and, who knows, maybe they’ll play the Canadian anthem before the game!”
Both pitchers are integral pieces of their respective teams starting rotations with Quantrill making nine starts thus far with a 3-3 record and a 3.20 ERA, while Kellogg has been going about his business starting nine games compiling a 4-2 record with a 4.07 ERA.
Kellogg had an impressive freshman season in 2013 going 11-1 including a no-hitter against Pac-12 rival Oregon State.
He is coming off his best start of the season last weekend when he went eight innings allowing only one run, five hits and a walk while fanning five in a win over California (Berkley).
Quantrill is not surprised by the success that his former teammate has had to this point in his college career.
“I think he’s been successful at the college level for the same reason he was successful with the National Team. He throws strikes and has really good command of his secondary stuff,” explained Quantrill. “Plus, he’s a competitor which is the more important part.”
Stanford features a young rotation and made Quantrill the first freshman since Mike Mussina in 1988 to start on opening day.
Pitching in the ultra-competitive Pac-12 Conference has been something that Quantrill has adjusted nicely to. He has had two exceptional outings this season tossing a complete-game shutout on March 9th against Kansas and throwing eight shutout innings against Oregon State on April 5th.
Kellogg says that Quantrill’s success is due in large part to his competitive edge on the mound.
“I think Cal’s had success from his ability to compete at any level,” he said. “He's a confident kid that trusts his ability to pitch.
“His ability to execute pitches has also led to his success and with his work ethic he will have continued success.”
Now that both players have praised each other’s qualities, it’s time to get down to the fun part, watching two of Canada’s brightest young collegiate players go head-to-head in one of College Baseball’s premier environments.
Action gets underway on Friday at 9pm ET and you can watch the live stream courtesy of the Pac-12 Network (www.pac-12.com)
