Draft Spotlight: LHP Patrick Wicklander
May 28, 2018
Being the #1 pitcher for the PBR 7th ranked Valley Christian Warriors has put the spotlight on Patrick Wicklander (an Arkansas signee) each and every week, even on a team loaded with multiple D1 players. All he’s done is rise to the occasion time and time again. He struck out 95 batters over 70 innings pitched and certainly looked the part of a projectable starting pitcher asset that MLB teams covet.
Wicklander flashes a four-pitch mix from his mid-3/4 slot including a mid to upper-80’s fastball that showed late and aggressive run at the plate. His slider and curveball come from the same arm slot with his slider having cutting action off the fastball path and his curveball being a slower pitch with the ability to manipulate the spin of the pitch to go in and out of the zone. His changeup is a developing weapon with the ability to pull the string and have it dive under the bat path.
In his first start of the season he fought through early control issues to finish a solid 4-inning outing, striking out 6 and pitching himself out of trouble while only allowing two runs to a talented Los Gatos team that he would see in the CCS Open Division final on 5/25. In the championship game, Wicklander went 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 walks, struck out 7 and gave up a single run, as Valley Christian won the championship game 4-3.
Let’s take a closer look at Patrick Wicklander.
