Junior Gavin Wallace is a name that Fairfield University and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference should get to know more. He has been stellar so far for the Stags and does not show any signs of slowing down. Wallace currently has a 4-1 record on the year and has only allowed more than two runs once throughout his five starts. He is the foundation and ace that every great team needs as Fairfield will look to become a potent force with Wallace leading the charge.
The Madison, N.J. native discussed how the team started off the season reasonably well, adding that he thinks that the team is gaining momentum at the right time as they enter conference play.
“So far we’ve been playing alright, but recently we’ve been playing much better. We are playing at the level we know we are capable of doing. I believe we’re getting hot at the right time, going right into conference play,” said the starting pitcher.
Wallace presents himself as a very humble player and it certainly shows when he includes his teammates regarding whether he is the ace of the staff.
“I believe we got three quality starting pitchers on this staff that you can give the ball to on any given day and they will give you the best chance to win,” said the current MAAC Pitcher of the Week.
Wallace is no stranger when it comes to being named MAAC Pitcher of the Week, considering he has won it on three separate occasions thus far in the season. However, the quality starter is not satisfied with just personal achievements.
“I mean it is a cool accolade but at the end of the day, I am just focused on team wins and how the team is playing as a whole. I am just doing my part by throwing strikes,” said Wallace.
Throughout the year so far, the New Jersey native has had much success especially in his past two starts, posting back-to-back complete game shutouts against Stetson University and conference foe Rider.
“It’s definitely all about including the defense since I haven’t had too many strikeouts. I just let the opponent put the ball in play and have the fielders make the plays they need to, so it all works out in the end,” said Wallace.
In the game of baseball, being consistent is very important mainly as a starting pitcher and Wallace has been the quintessence of consistency, in which every start so far, he has completed seven innings or more. Being consistent and going deep into games are two fantastic qualities that a starting pitcher should have.
“It’s more of a mentality thing for me. I try to focus more on strikes. I’d rather give up four hits than any walks so I just try to focus on them putting the ball in play so my defense can make the plays behind me,” said the 6-foot-5-inch hurler.
Fairfield wants to repeat as MAAC champions so the Stags want to make sure they have enough momentum going forward to lead the charge for playing conference opponents.
“The first in-conference game was a tough loss for us but we bounced back to sweep the doubleheader and that really helped us. That’ll help carry the momentum going forward and throughout the rest of the season,” said Wallace.
The outlook for Wallace and for the Stags is pretty simple: to always get better no matter what. They want to get better every day and they never want to be satisfied with mediocre results.
“We’re going to keep getting better and better every day. Even though we have a lot of guys returning from last year, we have a couple role players and it’s new to them. So it’s mainly an experience thing and we’re just trying to improve and also hit our stride,” said the 2016 member of the MAAC All-Academic team.
Fairfield looks to make noise and repeat as MAAC champions for the second-straight year. The Stags, as well as Wallace, are ready for the challenges that are ahead of them for the remainder of the season as they head into conference play. Wallace looks to stay sharp and dominant in order to lead the Stags back to the mountaintop of the MAAC.
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