Written by Brendan Weber '16
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara Broncos (SCB) caught up with baseball closer Reece Karalus (RK) to discuss how he approaches his position and how the squad is preparing to build momentum generated from last season's success.
SCB: As a closer, what is your typical mindset going to the mound in the later innings of a ballgame?
RK: Later in a game, each pitch means more than the last so a short-term memory is essential to be a successful closer. Whether I throw a strike or give up a double, I can't dwell on it because what matters now is the pitch I am about to make. When I am up on the mound I want to make sure that I remain focused and not rush myself to ensure that each pitch is thrown to the best of my ability. Anytime I felt my heart rate increase or I feel at all nervous I take a deep breath in and out and say "one." This is a technique from a book Coach (Gabe) Ribas suggested to me at the beginning of the season last year and the whole team read over the summer called The Mind Gym. In the book the author says there has been a scientific study that says this technique has shown to decrease stress levels and blood pressure. After trying this in a scrimmage with the team I decided to incorporate it into my game time pitching and I truly feel like it helped attribute to my success last year.
SCB: What do enjoy most about being a closer?
RK: My favorite part of being in the bullpen is being in the game for almost every win. In baseball, the starting pitchers will only throw once a week, but as the closer last year there were times I got to pitch in three or four games in one week. I also love being the person my teammates can rely on to shut the door. I must say that I wouldn't get this opportunity to pitch so much if the starters from last year didn't continuously throw quality starts giving the bullpen a lead to keep. Pete Hendron and I would say "eight one" before each of his starts meaning that he'll pitch eight innings and I'll come in for the last one. I was showing my confidence in him to throw eight great innings and he was showing his confidence in me to close out the game with one great inning. That is the confidence in each other that our team has. Each person believes in one another to do their job and if one person fails someone is there to pick them up.
SCB: Do you have any interesting superstitions related to baseball?
RK: One superstition I have is that I eat two Bobo bars during the course of every game before I go down to the bullpen to warm up and go in. The first Bobo I eat is in the first inning. This bar is for me. It keeps my energy up so I can be loud and support my teammates. The second Bobo bar I eat is for the team. I call this one my Rally Bobo. I save the Rally Bobo for a time in the game that we are on offense and need a rally. This could be the half inning after the other team scores or just an inning I feel like we are on the verge of scoring some serious runs. In terms of sharing my Bobos, I realized quickly that if I give away a small piece to everyone that asks for one, I will be left with very little Bobo left and our team's chance at a rally will be significantly weakened. The system for sharing I adopted was that for each Bobo bar I eat, I will give away one corner piece to someone that asks. This is done on a first come, first serve basis. With this system, the team and I had our best season in years and I am already stocking up on Bobo bars for the upcoming season.
SCB: What does the team need to do in order to build off last season's success?
RK: Our team needs to realize that nothing is given. We did have success last year, but our success last year will not help us win any games this year. What will help us win games this year is the hard work in the weight room, on the field, and on our mental game. This team is filled with a bunch of guys that just love to win. This competitive spirit is a driving force with our team. On the field we scrimmage three times a week and when you are playing with and against 40 of your best friends, you want to win more than anything. This pushes every one of us to play at our best every single pitch which will in turn make everyone a better player.
SCB: What are you personally working on this offseason to prepare for your junior season?
RK: This offseason I personally am working on two major parts of my game. First, I am working on my conditioning. Instead of getting through running because the coaches want me to, I'm looking at it as with each sprint I'm getting better. Also, in a weight room full of guys there is usually a big tendency to try to lift the most weight to show the others how strong you are. I have worked hard to set my ego aside in the weight room in order to do each rep perfectly because working the right muscles in the right ways is what's going to make me better. Secondly, I have worked on how I'm going to do my part to lead this team. I generally don't like to be the guy talking in meetings or telling my teammates what they need to do, but I have been trying very hard to speak up when I have something important to say because there are things that need to be said to make everyone around me better.
