Have Ya Herd: Parkersburg Catholic grad turned Marshall pitcher Copen looks to his future on the mound
Trending
HUNTINGTON -- Dare to dream. Better, yet, dare to make it reality.
Entering his junior season as a starting pitcher with the Marshall University baseball team, Patrick Copen's goal of joining the professional ranks is trending in the right direction.
The Parkersburg Catholic graduate capped off his recent holiday break pitching a bullpen session for a scout representing the Boston Red Sox.
"The scout took a bunch of a video and told me to do my thing," Copen said. "It was the first time this type of thing happened for me. At first, I was a little nervous -- you don't really know what to expect. He was a great person and what you expect out a lot of scouts. They love to watch and talk baseball.
"All of my off speed stuff felt good. It was a super exciting experience. The scout said he had seen me before and after I threw that bullpen session, he said there was exponential improvement."
Last season for the 20-26 Thundering Herd, Copen finished with a 3-3 record and ranked second among full-time starting pitchers with a 5.53 earned-run average. Over 53 2/3 innings of work, he struck out 56 batters.
When summer arrived, Copen took his gear to the northeast portion of the country playing in the Cape Cod League. He filled a role as a closer for the Brewster Whitecaps. In seven appearances, Copen allowed 12 hits over 9 1/3 innings. He struck out five and was credited with two saves while compiling a 5.79 ERA.
"That was an amazing experience," Copen said. "From the host family to the coaches to the players, I loved every single moment of that atmosphere. In that league, you are facing some of the best guys in the country. It's kind of a humbling experience, but you find out where you belong.
"Being able to perform at that level was kind of an eye-opener for me. It helped me find out where I am at and what I need to do."
Another return trip could be in the works for the upcoming summer, unless he receives even bigger news. And that could possibly take Copen to the Major League Baseball Combine. Last year his battery mate at Marshall, catcher Ryan Leach, was invited to the MLB Combine in San Diego.
"Ryan said it was an awesome experience," Copen said. "It's baseball guys being around other baseball guys. You can't ask for anything better. I hope I get a chance to attend. That would be exciting."
The days of wearing the PCHS Crusader uniform are drastically different. In high school, Copen remembers pitching one game, playing outfield the next day and perhaps the infield the day after that. At Marshall, he can focus on strictly pitching. Through his training, his off speed pitch has made an upgrade, while the fastball hovers at 97 miles per hour.
During his career at PCHS, Copen's fastball topped the radar gun between 89 and 90 mph.
"Those first few outings as a freshman at Marshall were kind of surreal," Copen said. "I felt like a little fish on the ocean. My teammates at Marshall are some my best friends in the country. Coming into a new environment and having that automatic bonding with baseball made it pretty easy for me.
"At this point, it seems so surreal -- like a dream. But with my college career and accomplishing the things I have, it starts transitioning from a dream to a goal. Obviously, it's a long-term goal."
This past offseason, the Marshall baseball program in general experienced its share of attention. The university received a $13.8 million contribution from Governor Jim Justice which will fund a new on-campus baseball stadium, set to open in Marsh 2024.
Earlier this month, Greg Beals was introduced as the new coach baseball coach.
"Baseball at Marshall as well as the surrounding community is at an increasing type of fanfare," Copen said. "Look on Twitter and every Herd fan is excited to go a baseball game on campus."
Marshall enters a new phase in terms of scheduling during its inaugural season in the Sun Belt Conference. The Herd open the regular season Feb. 17 against Saint Louis as part of a spring trip taking them to Birmingham, Ala., and Charleston S.C.
Their home opener is set for March 3 against St. John's at the Kennedy Center YMCA complex in Huntington.
"All the teams in the Sun Belt have very good baseball teams," Copen said. "It's a very competitive conference, and that's the best thing you can ask for. Our team has a very good work ethic. Everybody will do anything to win. We're excited to get started and work our butt off."
College baseball allows Copen to be seen by MLB scouts, both in person and through Zoom meetings.
"Zoom calls are mainly used for laying a base," Copen said. "They are trying to figure what you like to do, what your family is like and what I did on a day-to-day basis. They leave the baseball stuff to the games."
Copen keeps time management a priority. As a psychology major, he carries a 3.6 grade-point average. A heart-to-heart meeting with family friend and former Ohio Valley University baseball player Zac Carte prepared Copen for the demands of a Division I college student-athlete.
"Before I left for school, he told me you don't know what you are getting into until you get in it," Copen remembers. "He said you have to work your butt off. That was something I was willing to do.
"I remember him being super serious. He said it will be pretty hard, and it has been hard. I love baseball and I love my teammates. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else."
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com