May 6, 2008

By Nicholas Clarke
Special to theACC.com

Ask Miami reliever Kyle Bellamy why he loves being a pitcher and you'll get a quick answer.

"I love coming in (in the) late innings, a one-run ballgame, two-run ballgame with the crowd going nuts, and having all that pressure on you," said the Hurricanes' top statistical reliever. "You may be coming in with a bases-loaded situation. I just love taking on that pressure, getting the job done, and getting out of the inning."

Bellamy has thrived on that pressure this season as Miami's set-up man out of the bullpen. Appearing mostly in late-game situations, the sophomore from Davie, Fla., has established himself as one of the league's best relievers.

In 26 appearances so far, he tossed 38.1 innings, allowing just 18 hits and six earned runs, while striking out 43. Relying on a steady rotation of his fastball, slider and a newfound changeup to get outs, Bellamy is holding batters to one of the lowest averages in the league (.142) and currently boasts one of the league's best ERAs (1.41) in the second most appearances.

This kind of success, however, was not always expected of Bellamy at Miami.

In his first months with the program as a walk-on a year ago, Bellamy failed to impress on the mound. Miami coaches, who liked his lanky 6-foot-5-inch frame and feel for the game, were undecided on what to do with the former Florida state high school baseball champion and two-time All-Broward County selection.

"He probably was in the upper 80s with his fastball, and had a big breaking ball," said Hurricanes pitching coach J.D. Arteaga. "I saw him messing around in the outfield one day throwing sidearm, and I said, `Hey, you're probably not going to make the team throwing over the top. Let's give it a shot here from the side."

"He had good command from the top, and I think what he lacked was deception. But he had that big, loopy breaking ball, and for sidearmers, that's what you want."

So Bellamy, who had pitched from a normal over-the-top arm angle his entire life, and Arteaga went to work, rebuilding the Hurricane hurler's delivery from step one.

"We just tried to make up mechanics. We had to do everything from scratch," Bellamy said. "When you have such a funky delivery, like a sidearm guy does, you just have to throw mechanics out the window."

"He started throwing, and showed just enough where I said, `You know what, let's keep him,'" said Arteaga. "(Miami Head) Coach (Mike) Morris agreed."

In its first year, the transition was "up-and-down," as Bellamy tried to adjust to the new style of pitching.

Making 10 appearances during the 2007 season, Bellamy pitched just 9.1 innings. In his time on the mound, he allowed 11 hits, 10 runs, and walked 12 batters, finishing the year with an 8.68 ERA.

"I had some good outings, and I had some really bad outings," Bellamy said, "and we just kept working on it in the bullpen."

Looking to continue fine tuning his game this past summer, Bellamy trekked north to Rochester, N.Y., where he pitched for the Geneva Red Wings in the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

At some point during the summer, he hit his stride. In 26 innings in the NYCBL, he posted a league-record 16 saves. He allowed just four hits, while walking only two batters and registering a 0.00 ERA.

Fresh off his outstanding showing during the summer season, Bellamy returned to Coral Gables last fall, but not as the same player he was the previous year.

"He came back with a different confidence about him. He knew he belonged," explained Arteaga. "He wasn't sure he belonged last year, but this year he knows, and he has just run with it."

With that new-found confidence and some minor alterations to his mechanics, Bellamy has shined this spring, posting the lowest ERA among Hurricane regulars and improving in almost every statistical area from a year ago.

A perfect 5-0 on the year, he has already pitched four times as many innings this season as he did all of last year, while allowing just a third as many walks. Bellamy's staggering strikeout-to-walk ratio, currently almost 11-to-1, not only leads the team, but also ranks among the league's best statistical pitchers.

Behind the rebuilt bullpen and a greatly improved offense, the Hurricanes have streaked to a 36-5 record over the season's first two-plus months and seized the nation's consensus No. 1 ranking. A popular pick to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., some (Bellamy included) think Miami has what it takes to bring home the university's fifth national title and first since 2001.

"This year we have everything," he said. "Our pitching is there, our offense is probably one of the best in the country, and our defense is really solid."

"Anything short of Omaha would be disappointing, and with this club, anything short of winning in Omaha might be a disappointment."

For his play, Bellamy was recently named to the watch list for the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy, given each year to the nation's most "outstanding collegiate baseball player."

One of just seven league athletes to earn this distinction, Bellamy has the chance to join the elite list of Dick Howser Trophy award winners from the ACC and become the first Hurricane to win the award since 1987.

Despite the possibilities, however, his personal goals remain modest: "Just to keep getting outs and keep putting up zeroes (on the scoreboard) when I go out there. If the awards come, that would be great, but as long as we keep winning, that's enough for me."