Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Marshall Rich led the Pioneer League in runners caught stealing this season. He nailed 27 runners stealing, which ties for the fifth-best mark in franchise history as well
Posted: Sep 20, 2022

Catching Fire

Attention potential base-stealers: running on Marshall Rich is a poor choice. 

The catcher's NoCo campaign was rich with runners caught stealing. Rich recorded 27 of them, topping the Pioneer League in the process.

That total ties for the fifth-most runners caught stealing in franchise history too.

Marshall Rich ready for a 2022 Owlz home game at Jackson Field on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado

It didn't take very long before Rich revealed that rifle of an arm. In the middle of the season's first home series, he gunned down three runners in consecutive games.

So he sent the first six would-be-base-stealers back to the dugout empty-handed. It foreshadowed a season full of that same story. 

The composed Kentuckian caught multiple runners two more times. He caught a runner stealing in 21 of his 58 total games. In six of those contests, not a single runner successfully robbed Rich of a base.

All the while, the backstop batted .288, good for fifth on the team. His six sac flies led the Owlz and tied for ninth in the league. He became one of the seven swingers on the squad to hit multiple triples, and of his 163 at-bats, just 34 of them ended in a strikeout. 

Efficient both at the plate and behind it.

Marshall Rich receives a pitch during an inning behind the dish

As money as Rich was, he wasn't the only Owlz catcher to catch fire this season. In fact, by taking down 26.6 percent of possible base stealers, the birds boasted the league's second-best runners caught stealing percentage. 

Robbie Kellerman mowed down 16 runners this season, the seventh-highest total in the PBL. Ronnie Allen, only an Owl for 22 games, caught one too. 

Plus, this bunch of backstops collectively committed just 15 errors in 840 total chances.

That's a .982 fielding percentage. 

Robbie Kellerman gives high-fives after an Owlz home victory during the 2022 season

The dudes doing the catching duties didn't disappoint. They were dependable defensively. They were pretty steady with the stick too.

They radiated leadership and a love for the game. Their presence alone provided a positive feeling for coaches, teammates, fans, everyone.

Everyone except for opposing baserunners, that is.

Ronnie Allen, Jr. getting ready to catch an inning during a 2022 Owlz home game.