Texas A&M Baseball

Michael Wacha talks playing for Childress, Aggieland memories & more

By Gabe Bock

May 10, 2017

6,444

Key notes from Michael Wacha interview

The season has been going pretty well. I guess we’re about a month in, we’re down in Miami right now, just finished off a sweep against the Braves which was good for us. Just trying to get some things rolling here as a team.

That was a big win for us yesterday, we won the first two games pretty solidly and then had to work a little bit in extra innings yesterday to complete the sweep but I think sweeps can do wonders for teams. We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, going out there feeling really good about the way we’re swinging it and pitching it. It’s a step in the right direction for sure.

I’ve been feeling really good, tried putting in a lot of work this offseason down in Dallas. Working out, trying to get healthy again, I went down last year with a little injury but I’m feeling strong right now and the guys are playing great defense behind me. Just trying to fill up the strike zone, that’s what it’s all about.

Last year, it was a pretty tough season. I felt like I was getting hit around pretty well and ended up coming down with an injury, but you can definitely learn a lot of stuff from that. It’s a humbling experience but I just try to stay positive and take a lot of good things out of it. I remember stuff that Coach Childress used to tell us like, “You’re never as good as you think you are and you’re never as bad as you think you are. You’re only somewhere in the middle.” You just try to keep a level mind about it and just work extremely hard in the offseason to put that stuff behind you.

I talk to Coach Childress every now and then, I try to get a phone call in here and there. I keep up with team through TexAgs and on Twitter with all the games. I see they're doing pretty well, I saw the tough loss against TCU, I always have the bets with (Matt) Carpenter, so that makes it fun.

He, (Rob) is a heck of a coach and he knows how to get the guys going and bringing out their full potential. You know, he’s one of the best motivators out there and he can get the guys playing. I always expect big things from Coach Childress and he usually proves it.

He, (Rob) was one of the guys that changed my mechanics a little bit honestly. Whenever when I was in high school, I was more of a low 3/4-delivery guy and from early on in in the fall of my freshman year he was trying to get me to raise my arm angle to use more of my 6’6” body instead of pitching like a 5’11” is what he used to always say. He helped me a lot with that, he helped me understand the game more. I knew a little bit about the game in high school but in college I learned a lot more about how it works and is supposed to be played. I still use a lot of that stuff today for sure.

Looking back on it, I wish I could’ve gotten double digit wins one time at A&M, I was always stuck on that nine. I love College Station, I love Aggieland. I’m beating myself up over not being able to get back, I think it’s been a couple years now. I’ve been busy with the offseason and going to watch my little brother play football. I’m looking forward to getting back, I miss that place more than anything. I miss Olsen Field, I see videos of the student section just being rowdier than ever, that’s always fun to see.

In 2011, we had a heck of a team. We had Naquin in right, Stripling, Stilson we had a heck of a team with guys who could play. I just remember the guys, we believed in ourselves, we had to win a tough regional against Arizona, then had to go to Florida State and win on the road in the Supers which was extremely tough. Stripling beat Gilmartin there in game one, then lost a blowout in game two and then we were able to win game three. It was an unbelievable experience getting to go to Omaha, something I will never forget it was truly a once in a lifetime type of deal. I wish we could’ve won a few games there, but other than that it was a lot of fun.

It was kind of crazy, I guess I wasn’t scheduled to pitch that last game against Arizona and we ended up getting rained out and I was able to pitch on short rest that next Tuesday. That pushed me back to either starting game two or three of the supers depending on how games on went. Stripling was able to shut out Gilmartin in a tough game and it was on from there. I think we would’ve won the whole thing if Stilson had been with us. He was a huge part of why we were in that situation in the first place. He was the reason why we were there.

At Olsen Field, I would have to say my best memory was the start of the new season whenever they first opened Blue Bell Park. That was a very memorable game and then I think the regional games there against Arizona was unbelievable. The Texas games, those were always fun. I think I had a bunch of family members there my junior year whenever we beat Texas, I think we ended up sweeping them. It was a lot of fun, a lot of good memories at Olsen Field.

The last time I walked off the field at Olsen, it was a sad moment. I think at that time I had just gotten drafted or the draft was coming up. It was a sad feeling getting beat in that regional against Ole Miss, but I will never forget walking off, seeing all the fans still cheering us on and giving us a standing ovation. I remember seeing some family members up in the stands as well, I remember just going into the dugout and hugging my teammates after a good year. Just a little disappointing losing that early.

The call up to the majors, it was pretty cool. I wasn’t really expecting it honestly. He called me in there and said hey, “You’re scheduled to start in St. Louis in a few days, but you have to keep it quiet.” It was one of the hardest secrets I had to keep for a little bit, but I told my dad that night that there was a possibility of me going up to in a few days. I remember he was so proud of me, it was a good call.

The debut, it was an amazing night. It was an extra innings game where we ended up having a rain delay and having to come back at three in the morning to finish. I had about 40 friends and family members there and we were planning on going out to eat afterwards but I was stuck in the clubhouse and they were all out there partying without me. They lived it up for me, so they said.

I couldn’t really explain it, I don’t even know if I know what i was doing in that time period. I just wanted to go out there and preform for my team. I didn’t really know the guys, they were brand new teammates and I just wanted to go out and show them that I belonged. I was able to carry that no-hitter into the ninth and follow it up in the postseason in an elimination game to get it back to St. Louis. The NLCS was unbelievable, facing the Dodgers there and getting the MVP, it was just an unbelievable experience getting to pitch in Fenway and in that environment. Something I will never forget.

The best thing about being in the show is the travel, it’s a lot better than the minor league travel. Minor leagues it’s a lot of bus trips, a lot of early morning wake up calls, but in the show you’re flying out the night after with a chartered flight that has Chick-Fil-A and all the deserts you could want. I’d have to say that’s the best part about it.

The best part about Busch Stadium and St. Louis is the fans, Cardinal Nation. It’s a packed house every single game, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Tuesday day game where you think everyone should be working. They remind me a lot of the fans down in College Station at Olsen Field, very intelligent, very in to the game and they understand the game. It’s a lot of fun pitching in front of them and at that stadium.

My favorite opposing stadium… I like Pittsburgh quite bit, it’s a beautiful stadium there and they’ve got a pretty rowdy fan base as well. I also like Chicago when the wind is blowing in. That’s always a historic ballpark and it has a cool atmosphere as well.

I talk to Ross Stripling probably about once a week or so, we’ll shoot each other a text or send some Snapchats back and forth. He’s a really good friend, we had his bachelor party this past offseason, so that was a lot of fun.

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Tags: TexAgs Live, Michael Wacha, TexAgs Live Feature, Baseball, Texas A&M, 2017