Standing at 6-feet-7-inches, Zach Oates is imposing. As of late, though, it’s the right-hander’s pitching that has people feeling small.

The senior on the NIU baseball team is fast becoming the ace of the Huskies’ 2011 pitching staff. In 12 innings of work this season, Oates has given up only one earned run.

Oates is 0-2 in his first two starts, but the burly right-hander has received little help from the NIU offense. The Huskies put up three and two runs respectively in Oates’ starts against Southern Utah and BYU. Against SUU on opening day, the senior went six innings, giving up one hit and no earned runs, while striking out eight Thunderbirds.

Head coach Ed Mathey handed the ball to Oates for the season opener, largely because of the work he put in during the offseason. While working through an arm aliment, Oates also added a third pitch to his arsenal.

Late in the 2010 season, Oates approached Mathey about developing another pitch. A fastball-slider pitcher for the majority of his career, Oates set out to hone a changeup for his senior season.

“[At the] end of the year, we really started talking with the pitching coach [Ray Napientek] about a third pitch for Zach,” Mathey said. “He developed it throughout the winter, and we are starting to see it payoff right now for us.”

Following his first start against SUU, Oates was pleased with the way his changeup complimented his other two pitches.

“It was working pretty well for me,” Oates said. “I would only throw it three or four times an inning, but that’s all I want it to be. I just want hitters to know I have it.”

Mathey said he’s happy Oates feels comfortable throwing anything at all, considering how the pitcher felt last spring. Oates pitched in 16 games in 2010, but had a hard time recuperating between appearances.

“He had something with his arm that we had to pay attention to,” Mathey said. “We were able to get him on the mound, but he wasn’t able to do anything in between days. He wasn’t able to work in the bullpen and do the things he needed to do to get better.”

The nagging soreness in Oates’ arm turned out to be the result of improper workouts in between pitching appearances.

“I wasn’t on the right long-toss program,” Oates said. “Right now I’m throwing every single day and that has been the best thing.”