He powered through his breaking ball a little better. “He shortened up his extension a little bit to allow him to drive the ball down into the zone. “Rayne has always had an incredible arm extension when he pitches, and it was hindering his strike-throwing ability a little bit,” Hobb said. There were some mechanical changes during Supple’s time with the Deacs. In his sophomore season, you saw some flashes of what he was capable of, then as a junior was really where he took a big jump.” He wasn’t able to keep his delivery together. His freshman year, he wasn’t as strong physically, and I think that hurt him. “I think everyone develops at their own pace. “I wish I had a button that I could have pressed earlier in his career to have made it happen a little bit earlier,” Hobbs said.
Control problems plagued Supple’s first two seasons at Wake, as he combined for 49 free passes in 31 1/3 innings pitched. He never gave up on me and stuck with me.” “Coach Hobbs helped me with my mentality and he’s given me a great mindset toward the game,” he said. Without a high school pitching coach, Supple said his mentality on the mound was basically just ‘hope to do well.’ Wake Forest pitching coach Matt Hobbs had a huge impact in his development, Supple said. In high school, you don’t see that top-level competition. “The ACC competition was really good for me.
“Out of high school, I wasn’t nearly mature enough to go into pro baseball,” he said. Supple was drafted in the 38th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, but chose to attend Wake Forest instead. “It’s a great organization and an incredible baseball town.” “It’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. The potential of pitching in Coors Field doesn’t immediately intimidate Supple. The Rockies have already told Supple they plan to make him a starting pitcher, and he believe it’s possible they begin extending him as early as this year in Grand Junction. I’m just ready to play some more baseball.” “I think the first game is Tuesday, so we’ll get right into it,” Supple said. He’ll fly out Sunday to look over the contract and then be assigned to the Grand Junction Rockies, the Rookie affiliate in the Pioneer League. “They like how I kept the ball in the field, which is huge for them because the ball flies out of there, obviously.” When talking with the Rockies organization earlier in the year, they felt that Wake’s field compared with Coors Field,” Supple said. Maybe more important to note for the Rockies, he allowed just one home run this season, and just four in his entire Wake career. He had eight saves, finished with a 2.11 ERA and struck out 55 in 47 innings of work on the mound. 396 pick of the 2018 Draft, coming off a 5-2 season for the Deacs. “Welcome to Vermont,” Supple said about the delay. Two picks later, Supple finally saw his name come up on the screen as the 13th round selection by the Colorado Rockies - several minutes after getting those text messages.
“Congrats for what?” Supple replied as he was watching the MLB Draft online.Īs it turns out, Supple’s fastball has more zip than his home WiFi.
Wake Forest pitcher Rayne Supple received a congratulatory text from Demon Deacon second baseman Jake Mueller, followed closely by a similar message from his advisor. (Photo: Wake Forest Athletic Communications )