Kyle Yates came to the Madison Mallards in 2003 as a starter. He ended his summer as a closer. After a standout sophomore campaign at Midland College in which he compiled a 12-3 record, Yates moved to the bullpen after a pair of starts. The switch was a successful one, as the right-hander finished the season with a 4-2 record, a 2.15 ERA and a Mallards record eight saves. He also did his part at the plate, cracking three home runs and driving in 24 runs while seeing time in the outfield.
“It was a little easier on my arm because I threw so many innings this spring at Midland,” Yates said. “It was kind of nice to have a role where you could throw an inning every day or an inning every other day and have a little time off. I was also playing right field, so it was fun to come in from right field and close the game. Coach Skip (Darrell Handelsman), he’s a great coach. He kind of let me do my own thing. He helped me with a lot of the pitching adjustments.”
When Yates made the move to Austin and the nation’s No. 1 team, the Texas Longhorns, he brought with him the momentum he gained this summer. After transferring from Midland, Yates currently owns a 0-1 record and a 2.51 ERA. He has made 20 appearances out of the Texas pen and has racked up 35 strikeouts in his 32.1 innings of work.
“I was hoping I could come in and pitch right off the bat,” Yates said. “On a big team like this, it’s really great to get some innings in. We’ve got so many great guys in the bullpen–I think we have one of the top bullpens in the nation so far. Guys are really putting up some great numbers. We really have confidence when that starter comes out, we’re going to throw up zeros in late innings.”
Yates attributes some of his early Division I success to the time he spent in the Northwoods League this summer.
“I think it helped me a lot,” Yates said. “They’ve got some real good players in the Northwoods League. We had a bunch of guys from Baylor and Missouri, and really a lot of the teams from the Big 12 that you’re playing against and with. It really prepared me. Pitching as a closer helped me make the adjustment to that relief role. I was starting at Midland, then I came to Austin as a reliever. I think the experience in Madison this summer really helped me learn to be a reliever and learn a different situation.”
Another huge help to Yates’ career has been the presence of All-American closer Huston Street, who has been finishing off what Yates, J. Brent Cox and the rest of the Longhorn bullpen have started.
“I think he’s really helped me competitive-wise,” Yates said of Street. “He goes out there and competes every time. He’s just got that bulldog mentality where he’s not going to get hit. He’s going to throw up zeros at all costs. His attitude going into the game really helped me a lot to prepare myself for coming into tough situations with runner on late in the game. He’s been a good friend, a good experience for me.”
Yates was born and raised in Texas, so suiting up for the Longhorns is a dream come true.
“It’s great to play close to home,” Yates said. “It’s only about an hour and a half to my house, so my family’s been out to most every home game and even on some road trips, too. You grow up watching Texas and it’s always a dream to actually get here and play for them. This whole year has been kind of a dream ride.”
Overall, the last year has been a pretty good ride for Yates, dating back to the time he spent in Madison.
“I think just the support of the community was just great,” Yates said. “Obviously, we set the attendance record last summer. Those people just love baseball. There’s a couple of families I really stay in touch with, some of the younger kids I email back and forth with. They keep in touch with me. I really made some good friends and family there that I met and I’m really looking forward to coming back there this summer.”
While he hopes the College World Series delays his arrival in Madison for a few weeks, Yates is determined to improve upon the success of the 2003 Mallards nonetheless.
“I think we’ve got to win the first half, we’ve got to get to that playoff series,” he said. “We played well in that first playoff series last year, but just came up a little bit short. Last year’s team has a lot to build off of. We’ve got a lot of that bullpen coming back, we’ve got a lot of position players. I think we can really make a run this year for that Northwoods League title and get that ring. That’s what we’re working for.”
