Bullpen High: Hempfield baseball produces quartet of high-end college relievers
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Phil Fox, Christian Zilli, Jake Kramer and Brandon Coughlin were the top four pitchers on the Hempfield baseball team that reached the WPIAL Class 6A championship game in 2021.
With their right arms, the Spartans had speed and craftiness. With their big-game guts, they had fearless winners.
These days, the foursome would make quite a bullpen if they played together at the college level. But they have become formidable relievers separately at their respective Division I and II programs: Fox at Pitt, Zilli at Seton Hill, Kramer at Cal (Pa.) and Coughlin at Lehigh.
“They all are fiery competitors, and they all wanted the ball in big spots,” Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said. “It’s rare for high school kids to be that way. They wanted to be in control of the outcome. It’s the way they are wired. I am not surprised by what they’re doing.”
Kramer and Zilli are among the top D-II save men in the nation.
Kramer, now a 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore, had six saves at mid-week, a total that tied him for sixth in the country.
His ERA mirrored his WHIP at 0.56, while he had 14 strikeouts and four walks across 16 innings.
After the fall of his freshman year, Kramer said his coaches saw him as a reliever. He made the transition in the spring and took on a setup role.
His velocity increased, and he moved to closer, registering six saves last season and earning All-PSAC second-team honors.
“Improvement led my coaches to trust me in the closer role, which I’ve grown to love,” Kramer said. “The pressure of having the game on the line and the team relying on me is where I thrive. Despite offers to switch to a starting position, I couldn’t let go of the closer role that I’ve become so passionate about.
“It became evident to me that there were certain school records I could aim to break as a closer. That was another reason I stayed in the position.”
Cal (17-6, 6-2) was tied with IUP (14-6, 6-2) for first in the PSAC West Division.
“Jake was always a bulldog,” Buzzard said. “He was a strike thrower and loved to compete in big games. He’s found a way to pitch at Cal.”
Perennial power Seton Hill (17-9, 4-4) was in a three-way tie for third in the PSAC West, with Zilli as its closer.
Zilli (2-0), a junior, had a 0.00 ERA and a 0.36 ERA with four saves. He had allowed only three hits and struck out 14 in 11 innings.
“I can’t say that I knew for sure that all of us would become high-level relievers, but I did know that we all had what it took to develop into successful college baseball players,” Zilli said. “In high school, we were in a lot of pressure scenarios and played in a lot of close games against great competition that allowed us to feel comfortable in those moments. I also think our success is a testament to the great coaching that we received from coach Buzzard and his staff.”
Zilli went from an infielder’s role last year to the bullpen, giving him a greater sense of purpose with the Griffins.
“I saw myself falling deeper down the depth chart as this year approached,” Zilli said. “I was determined to be a contributor this year and realized that playing the infield was probably not an area that I could help the team.”
A change in throwing motion has catapulted Zilli.
“Christian reinvented himself as a pitcher,” Buzzard said. “He went from being the three-quarters, over-arm guy to lower-arm, slot sidearm.”
Zilli worked on a pitching motion that would make Kent Tekulve smile. He now slings it sidearm.
“I knew I had the mental makeup to be a successful pitcher, but I was not physically there yet, so I started throwing from a sidearm slot, which felt natural from my time as an infielder,” Zilli said. “I developed confidence in this and developed an arsenal around it with the help of some fellow players and the Seton Hill coaching staff. Since then, I’ve just been trying to constantly get better, while keeping my job as simple as possible: Go throw strikes, compete as hard as I can.”
Fox leads Pitt (12-13, 2-10 ACC) with two saves. The redshirt sophomore was 2-1 with a 0.96 ERA in 10 appearances (18 2/3 innings).
His 22 strikeouts were miles ahead of his two walks, while his WHIP also was gaudy at 0.80.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Fox said of his former teammates having success in college. “My time at Hempfield we had a lot of hard-working guys who enjoyed working on their craft both in school as well as on their own. We all enjoyed being around each other in a positive environment. This is what allowed us to be so successful. Coach Buzzard is an incredible coach and really loves what he does. I couldn’t say enough good things about him and the program he built. He is a huge reason of me becoming not just the pitcher I am today, but most importantly the man I have become.”
Fox started his college career at Gardner-Webb but was slowed by Tommy John surgery.
He entered the NCAA transfer portal and has harnessed staying power through his role as a closer at Pitt.
“Phil was our starter, our ace,” Buzzard said. “He has a great arm and was a solid two-way guy. His junior year is when he said, ‘OK, I want to be a pitcher now.’”
Fox said his surgery delayed his introduction to college ball but also helped lead him to his role.
“My first time stepping foot on the rubber in a live-game setting was in the spring of 2023 during our scrimmages,” he said. “Those were my outings to perform and show that I was ready to pitch again.
“I kept building good outings on top of good outings and eventually they decided to put me into the closing role, which I have found to love and excel at.”
Fox said he needed a “change of scenery” when he came to Pitt.
“Pitt felt like the perfect fit for me, growing up a Pitt fan my entire life,” he said. “So far, things have been great and I’ve found a lot of success and having fun playing with my team behind me.”
In Coughlin, Lehigh (16-10-1, 3-4 Patriot League) has an arm who can eat up middle innings. However, Coughlin (1-2, 13 Ks, 11 BBs, 11 IP), a sophomore, does have one save.
“I would say that my role here has been somewhat comparable to a setup role,” Coughlin said. “I have been mostly pitching in close games in the later innings to set up our closer. Whether that be for three innings or one, I have to be ready for any situation.”
Coughlin was a good outfielder at Hempfield, but his arm strength was ever-present.
“He would swing the bat, too,” Buzzard said. “Very talented, athletic and could run. He also said, ‘What’s my best role?’ When he pitches and he’s on, he’s pretty tough.”
A former pitcher himself, Buzzard takes pride — and little credit — for the success of his players.
“One thing about those guys,” Buzzard said, “was that they always held so much accountability. If they didn’t produce in a certain situation, they would tell you about it and want to do better next time. All four were captains for us. It could have been anybody coaching them. They made their own way.”
And that is from the bullpen to the mound.