McInnis on a tear

If you were to poll Southern Miss students, inability to gain weight probably would rank low on  their list of concerns headed into the spring break.

Indeed, most of us would love to have that problem.

Golden Eagle pitching ace Todd McInnis really does.

The lanky right-hander looks like your average guy off the field, albeit a little skinnier than most, at 6-foot-1, 165 pounds. He doesn’t throw exceptionally hard, and his presence on the mound isn’t what most would call intimidating. He’s loose, but not to the point he can crack a smile.

“He’s pretty shy and quiet but he’s a good guy to hang or go out with,” teammate and former roommate Collin Cargill said. “He doesn’t talk that much, but he’s got a lot of intensity inside. I think that’s the side you see when he’s pitching.”

Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.

Through three starts, McInnis holds a 2-1 record with a pair of shutouts and ranks sixth nationally with 26 strikeouts. He trails the national leader in that category Nevada-Las Vegas’ Peter Tanners by just four.

“I’ve known him for a number of years because of competing in the league against him,” Former Memphis and current Southern Miss pitching coach Mike Federico said. “He’s always known how to prepare himself and he’s always had great stuff. I think the one things he’s done this year is he’s gotten into a routine that works for him. He knows what he has to do week in and week out, and that’s been the difference.”

That routine includes seven days of work for one day of pitching, and more calories than most could stomach.

“I try to gain,” McInnis said with a smile. “Usually I snack a lot, but lately the trainers have been trying to get me to pound three or four big meals a day. When we’re practicing it’s hard for me to get that fourth meal, but sometimes I’ll just eat as much as I can before I go to bed - that’s when you gain the most weight.”

But late-night trips to Taco Bell aren’t what is keeping McInnis in control on Friday nights. He does that for the dozens of major league scouts who have told him he needs to gain weight.

When it comes to the early success he’s experienced this year, credit goes to Federico and the development of the pitch that has become his secret weapon, his changeup.

“When I’m able to place that first-pitch fastball where I want to, the change becomes that much more effective,” McInnis said. “Coach Federico does a great job of changing up my rotation of pitches every two innings and we’ve had success keeping hitters off-balance.”

The junior has come a long way from a mid-week pitcher who made his living throwing nasty sliders to right-handed hitters, and appears to be ripe for the picking in the major league baseball draft. Although he has another year of eligibility, McInnis has been on campus four years and is on pace to earn a degree in business administration this year.

While some major league clubs look at pitch velocity, stamina and longevity, others look at size. That’s where he has the most work to do.

“There’s a lot of people that are interested,” Federico said. “Some aren’t because of his size, but I think the biggest question for a guy like him is ‘Can his body recuperate on a five-day rotation like it does on a seven-day?’”

Before he tests the waters at the professional level, McInnis has a chance to become the winningest pitcher in Southern Miss history. With a career record of 21-9, he sits eight wins short of Darrell Lindsey’s career wins record of 29.

“He’s an unbelievable college player,” Federico said. “He deserves (a major league) opportunity, and I hope he gets it.”