Change(up) is good

Nick Rhodes said he was gun-shy when entered the Cypress College baseball program out of Corona del Mar High.

These days, the sophomore left-hander is anything but hesitant when it comes to pulling the trigger, especially when that means pulling the string.

Rhodes, twice a Newport-Mesa Dream Team performer in three varsity seasons with the Sea Kings, has used a devastating circle changeup to compile an 8-1 record with one save this season for the state’s No. 1-ranked team.

Rhodes, who has started six games this season in 15 appearances, spanning 60 1/3 innings, could be used in relief or as a starter when the Chargers (37-9) play host to a four-team, double-elimination Super Regional, beginning today. Cypress meets Grossmont at 3 p.m., hoping to advance to the four-team state tournament that begins May 26 in Fresno.

Rhodes, a two-time second-team All-Orange Empire Conference performer after sitting out the 2004 season, made two relief appearances ? three scoreless innings ? Sunday to help the Chargers eliminate Orange Coast in the Southern California Regional playoffs.

“I have kind of matured here as a pitcher,” said Rhodes, who signed in the fall to continue his baseball career at the University of Hawaii. “Coming here was definitely a change from Corona del Mar. After sitting out the first year, I decided to change my mental approach. I just got stronger mentally and that has really helped my game.”

Rhodes, whose senior year at CdM was hampered by a sore elbow that limited his time on the mound, said he also used his redshirt year at Cypress to develop what has become his go-to pitch.

“I threw a change in high school, but I didn’t have a lot of confidence in it, so I was a little gun-shy throwing it,” he said. “When I came here, they force you to throw changeups in the fall. That’s about all you throw. So, I became comfortable with it. Now, I don’t even think when I throw it. It’s just like any other pitch in my repertoire.”

It is hardly that to opposing hitters, whom Rhodes has fanned 97 times in 117 2/3 innings the last two seasons. He was 5-3 with a 4.55 earned-run average last season, but has lowered his ERA to 3.43 this season.

“When he came in as a freshman, he was a little bit timid,” Cypress Coach Scott Pickler said. “We redshirted him that first year, because we believed he needed to mature a little. He has really come on this year and has pitched in some big games.”

Rhodes and Pickler attribute the hurler’s success to control (just 13 walks this season), confidence and keeping hitters off balance.

“He throws in the mid-80-mph range and, usually, mid-80s guys in this conference get rocked,” Pickler said. “But he has a good changeup, a good feel for his curveball and he has matured a lot. Once we decided to give him the ball and once he decided he could be a dude for us, he started believing in himself.”

The changeup, Rhodes said, helped provide much of that confidence. It is especially effective against right-handed hitters.

“It moves a lot and it has late life,” he said. “I have a whippy arm action and I just throw it. Sometimes it’ll do different things. One time it will tail away and another time, it will tail down.”

Conversely, Rhodes’ baseball future has skyrocketed since perfecting his circle change.

“When [Hawaii Coach Nick Trapasso] came to watch me pitch last fall, he saw me throw in an intrasquad game,” Rhodes said. “He didn’t even see my curveball, but he signed me on my changeup and my fastball. When I took my visit there, he said he didn’t even need to see my curveball. I was like, ‘Well, you know, I’ve got a decent one.’”

Rhodes said he chose Hawaii over UC Irvine largely because he wanted to venture away from his Newport Beach home.

“Hawaii was a place where I thought I could develop both as a pitcher and a human being,” Rhodes said. “[Trapasso] wants me to be a frontline starter there.”

Rhodes, who was inducted into the Cypress College Hall of Fame at a banquet Thursday night, said he would like to play beyond college.

“I know I’m a guy who is a little under the [professional scouts’] radar, because I don’t throw 89 or 90 mph,” he said. “But as long as I can be consistent and keep performing the way I have been, I don’t think there is any reason why I shouldn’t be able to play in the professional ranks someday. I want to keep playing for as long as I can, because baseball is my passion and my love.”

dpt.19-rhodes-1-BPhotoInfoEJ1R40B020060519izhoqjncCHRISTOPHER WAGNER / DAILY PILOT(LA)Corona del Mar High graduate Nick Rhodes has emerged as a top pitcher at Cypress College. The Chargers are ranked No. 1 in the state going into this weekend’s California Community College baseball Super Regional.dpt.19-rhodes-2-BPhotoInfoEJ1R40E220060519izhor9ncDAILY PILOT(LA)Nick Rhodes, shown here pitching for Corona del Mar High in a 2003 game, has signed with the University of Hawaii.