Young Catfish arm finds familiarity in Missouri far from his California home

Young Cape Catfish pitcher Jordan Riley blames himself for “thinking too much” – at times – on the mound. However, he probably should tap the brakes on that self-criticism, given how the 18-year-old straight out of high school has adjusted to the next level of the game this summer.

“He has done really well,” Catfish pitching coach Jason Chavez said following Riley’s most recent outing. “There are a few things that he and I have been working on.

“He’s competing, but he is a high school kid. “Obviously, he is not used to facing guys like this.”

That hasn’t always shown this summer, though.

Riley, who is from Chico, California, but has family ties to the New Madrid and Sikeston communities, made his 14th appearance on Sunday in a 2-0 loss to Normal at Capaha Field, and as he usually does, he threw well.

The right-hander worked three innings of relief and allowed just one earned run and two hits while striking out five batters and walking just one.

“Mainly,” Riley said of the success that he has had at times, “I am not thinking. When I start being overcomplimented in my head, that is when I start getting out of whack.

“Whenever I am not thinking, and I am just kind of doing it, that is when I pitch really good.”

Riley has had more “really good” games than poor ones.

He has allowed nine earned runs this summer, but seven of those came in two outings.

Facing college-age hitters, Riley has struck out 34 batters in 23 1/3 innings while walking just five.

“Whenever I dig too deep (in my head),” Riley said, “and too much stuff is running through my head, that is when it breaks down a little bit.”

You can’t blame Riley for “overthinking” things a little bit.

He is fresh out of high school and playing 2,100-plus miles from his northern California home. However, it helps that “half of my family is here,” according to Riley.

Jordan’s father, Paul Riley, graduated in the early 2000s from New Madrid County Central High School but served in the United States Navy, which led him to California, where he married Hayley Riley, who is a California native.

A ton of Paul’s relatives, including his uncle (New Madrid resident Scott Riley) and cousins (Rob and Shannon Clay of Sikeston), come up to Cape Girardeau and support Jordan when he pitches.

Scott knew Catfish owner Glenn Campbell and sent him a video of Jordan pitching at Pleasant Valley High School in California, and the film was impressive enough to sign Jordan to a deal.

“I thought it was cool,” Jordan said of the opportunity to come to Missouri for just the second time in his life. “It’s different to get away from California, where I have been my whole life, and I have family here, so a lot of them get to see me play.

“They have never really seen me play before, so this is a cool experience.”

They’ll have the opportunity to see more of Jordan over the next couple of seasons.

He had originally signed to play at the University of Nevada this fall but has switched to Crowder College in Neosho for a better chance at playing time.

“It was an eye-opener to see how many kids have bounced back from (playing at) the D1 level, and how much more benefit you can get out of a JUCO.”

Riley felt he would be limited in his playing time with the WolfPack, but at Crowder, everyone is either a freshman or sophomore, so he’ll believe that his opportunity to get innings will be better.

“You actually be playing,” Riley said, “almost every game. Actually, having a routine. If you go to a four-year (school), most of the time, you’ll have to sit your first or second year. It takes away from your playing experience.

“Really, the way to get better is by playing the game.”

The Catfish (33-15 overall, 11-9 second half) will be in town quite a bit this week, beginning with a game against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp (21-23, 9-8) today at 6:35 p.m.

Cape will visit Danville on Wednesday, followed by home games at Capaha Field on Friday (vs. Quincy, 6:35 p.m.), Saturday (vs. Jackson, 6:35 p.m.), and Sunday (vs. Springfield, 4:35 p.m.).