Freshman Lefty Henry Making a Statement in Bullpen
4/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 21, 2017
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Tommy Henry is making a statement with his pitching.
The freshman left-hander -- who was Mr. Baseball and the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year last season at Portage Northern High -- is 3-1 with a 0.67 ERA and one save in 13 appearances for the University of Michigan baseball team.
He ran his scoreless streak to 17 2/3 innings in Friday night's (April 21) 1-0 loss to Indiana by putting zeroes up on the scoreboard for the final two innings and struck out four on one hit in doing so.
"Tommy doesn't seem like a freshman," said Wolverine head coach Erik Bakich. "He's got the mentality, poise and pitch ability of a veteran in this program, and he's going to have an extremely bright future. That's for sure.
"The impact that he's made in relief has been significant because we've put him in some very high-leverage, pressure situations, and he's executed well, performed well. He has a great even-keel mindset, looks unfazed and is a true competitor who shines the bigger the moment and the bigger the stage. That's a rarity. Sometime that's learned, and sometimes it takes a while to get good in those situations, but he seems like a natural."
Bakich expects Henry to return to his more familiar role as a starter next year and said he might yet start him this season.
Henry was 9-0 with a 1.20 ERA as a senior and 25-2 while allowing less than one run per nine innings as a starter at Portage Northern. But like most pitchers making the jump to college, Henry's career began in the bullpen. That's not an easy transition to make, but he's handled it so well that he's getting important late-inning calls.
"It was a big adjustment at first," said Henry. "I was never used to coming out of the pen and getting used to getting hot, and sometimes having to sit right back down, getting hot quick and all of that kind of stuff.
"What really helped me was the upperclassmen leadership. They made that transition super easy with the guidance they provide me down in the bullpen, showing me how to get ready and preparation during practice."
Starting pitchers are baseball's equivalent to distance runners, while relievers are sprinters. There's no pacing yourself coming out of the bullpen, and effective relievers learn to thrive off of adrenaline.
"As a starter," said Henry, "you establish the rhythm. As a reliever, you have to fit into the rhythm that's already been established. But after figuring that out, it's easy to pitch in. When you come out of the pen, you just know you've got to pound the (strike) zone and trust your defense behind you, and that's been easy this year to trust our defense."
No. 13 Michigan (30-8, 6-4 Big Ten) led the conference with a .984 fielding percentage heading into the opener of the three-game series with Indiana and has players across the diamond who take away hits with great plays.
Wolverine starter Oliver Jaskie gave up a leadoff homer to Tony Butler in the first inning Friday and didn't allow another run over 6 2/3 strong innings. After Mac Lozer got the final out of the seventh inning with two runners aboard, Bakich turned to his freshman to hold down the Hoosiers for the final two innings.
"I was just trying to command the zone and establish the fastball early," said Henry. "I pitched to contact again because I knew our defense would make plays."
He gave up a two-out double in the eighth inning but kept cleanup hitter Matt Lloyd at second base by striking out Logan Sowers.
Henry, a lanky, 6-foot-3 southpaw, is hard for hitters to pick up and has struck out 33 in 27 innings with a reasonable nine walks.
"He commands all of his pitches," said Bakich, "and throws a lot of strikes. And the velocity's picked up. A lot of lefties, the (hitter's) approach is to look out over the plate because they all live away. They don't usually pitch inside, but the ones who can come inside are very effective, and he's got that ability. Tommy uses both sides of the plate."
Pitching coach Sean Kenny has helped Henry refine his pitching repertoire that includes a fastball that reaches 91 mph and is typically "in the high 80s" along with a curve, slider and changeup.
"We've worked on a lot," said Henry. "But it's definitely about commanding the zone and working on the level of the fastball and keeping pitches low so they're harder to hit. Our pitchers just attack the bottom of the zone, and that's worked so far for me, too."
He's done nothing put impress his coaches this season and will be an important pitcher down the stretch and into postseason play. Henry threw 3 2/3 innings in relief with 49 pitches against Notre Dame in an April 4 appearance that allowed Michigan to pull out a comeback win while he earned the pitching victory.
"I think he's definitely got starting pitcher in his future," said Bakich. "You get into tournaments where you need that extra guy (starting), and he's certainly capable. From a confidence standpoint, from the point of the coaches and everyone on the team, we'd feel very good if he made a start this season.
"But you can easily envision him there in the future."
