The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Player of the Week: Adam Ottavino

After a rough stretch to open the season, junior pitcher Adam Ottavino is finally ending the slide.

On March 24, the right-hander busted out of the slump in a big way, allowing no runs in eight innings while striking out 12 batters as Northeastern dealt the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens a 3-0 loss.

Ottavino jumped to seventh all-time in strikeouts at Northeastern with 206, just 35 away from 2004 graduate Jordan Thomson, who holds the record with 241. The Northeastern News Player of the Week said he was satisfied with the start and is looking forward to more like them.

“This season there’s a lot of expectations on me and the pitching staff,” Ottavino said. “I’m not totally satisfied with how I’ve done so far. I pitched well against Georgia Tech [on March 7] and this past weekend, it’s good to get those tough outings out of the way.”

The right hander said he was at his best against Delaware, a sweet sight for the staff ace.

“I was just working ahead of the batters and getting strike one,” Ottavino said. “I was mixing it up and not heavily relying on my fastball. It makes the hitters turn to guessers, it’s more of my style.”

Ottavino is posting a 5.00 ERA and a 1-2 record while giving up a team high three home runs in the early season. However, the junior leads the team with 36 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .220 average.

Last season’s America East Pitcher of the Year said he learned from the early-season struggles and is now working to live up to the high expectations.

“Last year, I had a lot of expectations as well, and I learned that you can’t pitch the whole season within one game,” Ottavino said. “You have to take it one batter at a time. I have the highest expectations for myself, and I’m constantly competing with myself to to get better.”

Ottavino is comfortable in his role on the team, knowing that his teammates are able to play well behind him.

“With our starting rotation, my job is to set the tone for the weekend,” Ottavino said. “But if something goes wrong I have confidence in our other guys to get the win. It’s good knowing there’s someone to give the ball to.”

The Huskies currently rank fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association and Ottavino said that the best is right around the corner.

“We play teams that are ahead or tied with us over the weekend, and the team is starting to gel so I think the season will be fine,” Ottavino said. “So far, our first season is going as expected, every game has been a dog fight, and through this much of the season we’ve learned how good we can be in this conference.”

Ottavino and freshman Mike Tamsin were named CAA Co-Pitchers of the week.

– Compiled by staff writer Matt Foster

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