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MOOSIC — Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon has always prided himself on his preparedness.

It’s a big part of what had gotten him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, after starting the 2016 season with the Trenton Thunder. When Wotherspoon did arrive to the Triple-A stage, he pitched like a veteran, and not a 23-year-old righty getting his first taste of Triple-A ball.

He collected a 2.01 ERA and three saves in 10 appearances and 22.1 innings en route to International League and National Championship titles with the RailRiders.

In doing so, Wotherspoon finally righted a ship that had been off course since his days at Crestwood, and got the PNC Field (home of the District 2 tournament) monkey off his back.

“One thing that always haunts me is not winning the district title against Abington Heights my junior year of high school at Crestwood,” Wotherspoon said. “Mark Modrovsky was my coach — never got a district title. We ran into a buzzsaw, which was Abington Heights — they were an awesome team. To come back here and win my first real championship, and to have it on this stage and back in my hometown was really special.”

Fast forward to Jan. 28, and Wotherspoon is back in PNC Field for the RailRiders’ Fan Fest. And like he’s always done, Wotherspoon has been preparing for 2017 all winter. The biggest thing Wotherspoon said he worked on this offseason was the consistency of all of his pitches.

“I’m just making sure I’m in shape and ready to get down there. Making sure my arm’s in shape, making sure my body’s in shape,” Wotherspoon said. “I get up usually, I lift in the morning. I run after I lift a little bit, I throw and I go and run some more.

“When you get to (Triple-A) I think it’s about being able to repeat all of your pitches over and over again.”

Bringing back both manager Al Pedrique and pitching coach Tommy Phelps was a move Wotherspoon welcomed. The continuity between the Crestwood grad and pitching coach is something he values toward his success.

“(Phelps) is an unbelievable person, first and foremost, and he’s an unbelievable pitching coach,” Wotherspoon said. “I get along great with him and I know all the pitchers get along great with him. It’s nice to have the same guy. You develop a rapport with one another. He knows what I’m trying to do to batters and vice versa.”

The 6-foot-1 pitcher heads down south on Feb. 10 with a goal of starting the year with the RailRiders. However, he understands professional baseball can be a cruel game, and anything can happen.

“There’s a lot of guys fighting for a lot of different positions,” Wotherspoon said. “I’ll find out (where I start) after spring training. I’ll go down there with the mindset I always do, and that’s just take it day-by-day and try to get better each and every day.”

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders pitcher Matt Wotherspoon has set goal to start 2017 in Triple-A.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL050916Railriders3-1-.jpg.optimal.jpgScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders pitcher Matt Wotherspoon has set goal to start 2017 in Triple-A. Sean McKeag file photo | Times Leader
Crestwood grad’s goal to start season with RailRiders

By DJ Eberle

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