Pitching for the Kane County Cougars is all that Westin Muir has known in professional baseball.
The St. Charles North graduate starred for NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater before signing with the Cougars right out of college. He will make his first start of the season Monday in Fargo.
When he does, it will officially begin his fourth season with the Cougars.
“This was my first professional experience,” Muir said. “Obviously, I’ve loved it or I wouldn’t keep coming back. Everything here is top notch. They do the things the right way.”
The 25-year-old right-hander has gone 18-12 in 53 appearances over the past three seasons, making him one of the most reliable arms for manager George Tsamis.
“He’s been a really good pitcher for us,” Tsamis said of Muir. “He’s been a winner everywhere, and we love having him. We’re glad he’s back.”
Often in the American Association, players have previous professional experience before joining the league. Muir wasn’t one of them, but he got brought in for a look by the Cougars.
After going 27-3 in his college career, Muir was recommended to Tsamis.
“When you see that record, you give him a shot,” Tsamis said. “He doesn’t throw 95 mph, but he knows what he’s doing. He changes speeds, works both sides of the plate.
“He’s just been a winner his whole career. Everybody likes him.”
Coming in from a small school, Muir confirmed he was a bit wide-eyed.
“I’m seeing guys that played in the big leagues before or were first-round draft picks.” Muir said. “I came in with low expectations for myself. I had a little bit more to prove than some of these guys that have done it before and been around.”
If he was uneasy, it didn’t show on the field in 2022. He went 7-0 for the Cougars that season and followed that up with another solid performance in 2023.
Last summer, however, Muir faced his first major adversity as a pro. He went 6-9 with a 5.72 ERA and was shut down by Kane County due to an injury with a month left in the season.
He wasn’t around as the Cougars celebrated their American Association championship.
“It’s tough when you’re not 100% pitching,” Tsamis said. “He seems to be back to 100% healthy and we’re hoping this is a good year for him. He looks good.”
Pitching coach David Holmberg, who’s in his second season with the Cougars, also likes what he’s seen from Muir so far.
“He features a good four-seam fastball and a curveball,” Holmberg of Muir. “He’s been working on a couple other off-speed pitches and did a great job in the offseason getting healthy.
“Coming back, he looks pretty sharp.”
While his pitching continues to evolve, there are other aspects that have evolved for Muir as well.
“I think having a better feel for the game in general comes with time,” Muir said. “There are a lot of things you never learn about the game of baseball until you’ve played it at the highest level.
“Getting to feed off other guys that have been there and done that has been really important.”
Muir still hopes to play at the highest level. Although he enjoys his time with the Cougars, every player in the league maintains a goal of either reaching the majors or returning to the majors.
“This is cool with me — don’t get me wrong,” Muir said. “This is a great setup and I love playing here. But the end goal is to always try to get to the bigs, try to get to affiliated ball however I can.
“I’ve seen this as a great step toward that. However it pans out, we’ll see in the end. I wouldn’t want to be trying for it anywhere else.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
