SLIPPERY ROCK — Butler graduate and Slippery Rock University relief pitcher Wyatt Daugherty is feeling pretty healthy these days.

And he's making opposing hitters look pretty sick.

The sophomore right-hander continued his quick start to this season by posting his second win of the campaign in the nightcap of The Rock's double-header sweep of Clarion Saturday at Critchfield Park.

Daugherty worked two scoreless innings to close out a 5-4 victory, striking out two. He is 2-0 with one save and a team-leading 0.50 earned run average so far this spring.

“He's healthy now. That's the big thing,” SRU coach Jeff Messer said. “And his conditioning is much better. He took that really seriously during the off-season,

“Wyatt is topping out at 88 miles per hour and he's got a nasty slider. That's how he's getting people out.”

With regularity.

Opposing hitters are batting just .212 against Daugherty. He has 19 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings pitched.

Compare that to last year's numbers: Opposing hitters batting .362 against him, with Daugherty compiling a 13.03 ERA, eight strikeouts and 10 walks in 9.2 innings.

“We had to shut him down early last year because of tendinitis in his elbow,” Messer said. “He didn't throw much at all last summer.”

Daugherty did get a lot of rest and rehab,.

“That's all it was,” he said. “I had to get stronger.”

A starting pitcher in high school, Daugherty cracked the Rock lineup as a freshman last year out of the bullpen. He was going to be the team's closer before his season was cut short.

Now he's back in the bullpen — and loving every minute of it.

“I'll do whatever the team needs me to do down the road, but I prefer coming out of the bullpen over starting now,” Daugherty said. “I love the challenge of it.

“There is no margin for error. If you're a starter and you struggle early, there's time to recover. With the game on the line late, I feel like I can't afford to walk a guy. I just go right at the hitters.”

Daugherty said he only throws two pitches — a fastball and slider — but plans to add a change-up by next season.

“It'd be nice to have a third pitch,” he admitted.

In the meantime, he wouldn't mind chasing down SRU's single-season saves record of seven, set by Ken Ord in 1990 and matched by North Allegheny graduate Ryan Oglesby in 2011.

He'll have some company as he chases that record. Daugherty has the one save so far. Teammate Josh Coleman has three.

“We've got a lot of arms down there,” Messer said of the bullpen. “Josh is a left-hander who can close, Wyatt is a right-hander who can close and (outfielder) James Divosevic is effective in relief.”

Daugherty is just happy to still be playing baseball.

His grandmother, Dolores Daugherty, worked as a secretary at SRU for 40 years. His parents, Rich and Robin Daugherty, are both Rock graduates.

Daugherty himself is majoring in finance at The Rock.

“I was coming here to go to school no matter what, baseball or no baseball,” he said. “There was a spot on the team for me and that's been a nice bonus.”