Ohio State freshman left handed pitcher Isaiah Coupet (34) prepares to throw a pitch during a game. Credit: Ohio State Department of Athletics
After the Buckeyes split Sunday’s doubleheader behind junior right-hander Garrett Burhenn’s complete game, they returned to their hotel for one more night ahead of Monday’s game against Indiana.
Senior Griffan Smith was previously tabbed with the starting nod for the weekend finale, but plans changed. Freshman left-hander Isaiah Coupet — who had made eight appearances from the bullpen to that point in the season — felt his cellphone buzz.
Coupet received a text message from the coaching staff: He would make his first-career start Monday.
“I got the text that I was starting and nerves started building up,” Coupet said. “Nerves were pretty high before the start. I was pretty nervous.”
It’s safe to say those nerves quickly vanished once he took the mound.
Coupet struck out seven of the first nine Hoosiers hitters as he cruised through the first three innings. He didn’t throw three balls to anyone the first time through Indiana’s batting order, working ahead by relying on his slow, hooking curveball and mixing his fastball that sat in the upper 80s on the radar gun.
The lefty said he wasn’t on a pitch count for his outing, and finished after allowing one run on two hits. Both Coupet’s seven strikeouts and 3 1/3 innings of work were new career-highs.
“Once I started throwing, doing my routine, kind of everything settled down and I was ready to compete,” Coupet said.
Nerves haven’t appeared to give the Buckeye any trouble throughout his first season. Coupet’s senior season at Homewood Flossmoor High School was cut short due to the pandemic, and head coach Greg Beals touted the left-hander’s talent as he also had a “very, very short fall practice” upon arriving at Ohio State.
Coupet said missing his senior season was “shocking,” but he was eager to get to campus. The Flossmoor, Illinois, native was looking at Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and the University of Illinois at Chicago, among other programs, but said he had a great experience with Ohio State’s coaching staff during his visit and that both had “the same driven goals.”
“We saw him at the PBR Futures Games. I saw a whippy arm that I think the velocity is gonna continue to grow while he’s here in college,” Beals said. “But the biggest thing we saw was that he could spin a breaking ball and also has got a good change-up as well. The ability to have the second-pitch offerings was critical in his recruiting. Saw a good athlete that was fast-twitched. ”
Beals added he feels there’s plenty of development left in Coupet’s young career, but the left-hander has taken the adjustment to Big Ten baseball like a seasoned veteran.
Coupet entered his start already with 14 innings under his belt, fourth-most among Buckeyes’ arms who hadn’t made a start. He also sported a 3.86 earned-run average alongside 22 punch outs and just six walks, displaying exceptional command of both his fastball and off-speed offerings.
“It’s amazing. There’s not a lot of guys at that age that can pitch. Like, he can flat-out pitch,” graduate left-hander Patrick Murphy said. “He’s a competitor. But, he’s not just throwing, I mean, he can locate four pitches. He’s gonna be really good in the coming years. It’s just amazing to see a kid like that that can pitch, hit with multiple breaking balls, his fastball.”
Coupet said he began messing around with curveball grips and delivery with his father when he was about 12 years old. He also said teammate redshirt junior Seth Lonsway — known for his devastating left-handed curveball — talked with him about spin and how to get on top of the pitch.
“I love it. They give great tips, experience, wisdom, everything,” Coupet said. “I have talked to Seth about his curveball — he throws his a lot harder than mine. He’s helped me a lot. It’s gone a long way.”
Three games remain on the Buckeyes’ schedule before their season concludes and they begin to look ahead toward 2022.
Coupet said he’s happy with how his first year has gone and he aims to gain weight this summer, saying 20 pounds is his goal.
“My first year has been going on pretty well,” Coupet said. “I got some goals to make — I haven’t hit them yet, but so far, I’ve been loving it.”
