Down on the Farm: Austin Wood is Grindin’

Back in April I did a piece on three recovering SeaWolves pitchers that could make an impact for Erie this season. Casey Crosby has been outstanding this season and Cody Satterwhite still has a mid-summer target for his return to the hill. The third piece of that article was reliever Austin Wood who was returning from shoulder surgery.

Austin Wood is predominantly known for his 169 pitch effort while he was at the University of Texas. The 13 innings of relief also came after Wood pitched the previous game. The story is well documented by now so I won’t beat a dead horse. Regardless, the outing remains both impressive and puzzling. Much debate surrounds the abuse of college pitchers as many of them experience multiple injuries down the road. After-all–selected in the 5th round of the 2009 draft–Wood had logged just 7 1/3 innings of professional baseball prior to this season.

This season is a different story though for the SeaWolves late inning reliever. Now healthy and back on the grind, Wood has logged 31 2/3 innings for Erie. He has posted a 2-3 record with a 2.56 ERA and 1 save. Wood has struck out 34 while walking just 10. After throwing just an inning and a third last season for the Advanced-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, Austin Wood has quickly made up for lost time. He was an amazing relief pitcher in college and he looks very solid in Erie this season. One thing is certain, Austin Wood possesses the tools and determination required to continue down his road to the show.

Keep an eye on Austin Wood as he continues to earn his stripes down on the farm.

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