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Lively, who boasts a four-pitch arsenal (fastball, curve, slider, changeup) wrapped up his three-year career at Central Florida in 2013 with the fourth-lowest ERA in school history (3.06) and ranks seventh all-time in wins (21).
The aspects of first-year pro pitching to which Lively has tried to get accustomed are pitch counts and innings limits. Lively has never pitched more than three innings in any start this season, meaning he's never been in line for a victory. He threw 106 innings this past season at Central Florida, so the Reds and Mustangs have been mindful of his workload.
"I always mess around in the dugout: 'Just let me get to five innings, let me get five innings,'" Lively said. "They won't let me."
That's because there's a future to protect.
"He's fun to watch," said Mustangs manager Pat Kelly. "He pitches like you're supposed to. He pitches down in the zone and he pitches to both sides of the plate. He's aggressive, he gets ahead, and he can put you away with the breaking ball or he can elevate the fastball to strike you out. He definitely shows why we drafted him."