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Thursday, June 20, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Henry untouchable in complete-game shutout against FSU
OMAHA, Neb. – Nine innings.
100 pitches.
Most starting pitchers reach
that number in five, maybe six
innings. Seven or even eight, on a
really good night.
Not Tommy Henry. And not in
Omaha.
In the biggest game of the
Michigan baseball team’s season,
the junior left-hander pitched
a complete game of three-hit
baseball Monday, shutting out
Florida State in a 2-0 victory for
the Wolverines.
“We got the best pitching
performance of Tommy Henry’s
career,” said Michigan coach
Erik Bakich. “We needed a strong
performance, and he gave us
something magical tonight. I
think we’re all just in awe.”
Facing a Seminole lineup that
has been especially dangerous
with the long ball, to which Henry
has been notably susceptible all
season – the Seminoles have 81 on
the season so far – pitching coach
Chris Fetter helped come up with
a plan to mix up Henry’s pitches
and keep the ball low and around
the plate all night.
The
plan
required
nearly
flawless
execution.
And
that
was exactly what Henry gave
Michigan. It was a testament to
the consistency and dedication
that Henry has shown all season,
all while battling bicep tendonitis
in the second half of the season
that saw him struggle with his
consistency.
“The first thing I think about
when I think of Tommy is his
discipline
and
consistency
and how truly consistent he is
throughout the year,” catcher
Joe Donovan said. “That’s been
Tommy the entire year. The
discipline to keep the balls low in
the zone, to not miss. If he does
have a miss, the next pitch was – I
think he shook me off after a hung
breaking ball, and the next one
was one of the dirtiest ones I’ve
ever caught from him.
“That’s him in a nutshell:
keeping the ball low in the zone,
pounding it, discipline, taking
breaths, the whole nine yards on
it, and that’s been what we’ve seen
from him this entire time. That’s
just Tommy Henry for you.”
For Henry, the execution and
mindset Monday were routine.
Coming off a dominant start in
the Wolverines’ eventual 4-2
victory over No. 1 UCLA, Henry
was confident in the plan, and
more importantly, in his pitching.
“We just tried as a pitching
staff to come out here and do
what we’ve done all year – attack
the strike zone and play the
numbers,” Henry said. “A great
hitter is going to get out seven out
of ten times, so if you attack the
strike zone, you force the issue,
and let the defense work, and you
saw that tonight.”
Henry also got plenty of help
from his defense, which seemed
to be exactly where the ball fell all
night, as well as from sophomore
center fielder Jesse Franklin, who
crushed the first pitch he saw in
the top of the first inning for a
towering home run that ensured
Henry pitched the whole game
with a lead.
Pitching from ahead changed
his mindset completely.
“Pitching with a lead is much
easier than pitching behind or in
a tie game,” Henry said. “It gives
you the freedom to just attack and
to watch the defense work and let
them make the plays, not have to
do too much. So to be able to do
that from the first time you step
on the mound is fun.”
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan one win away from CWS Final after 2-0 shutout
OMAHA, Neb. — As the number
of innings played marched closer
to nine, the Michigan baseball
team found itself in another close
pitching duel.
The Wolverine offense was
sputtering, but Tommy Henry
was there to give them every
chance they needed under the
lights.
The junior left-hander went
all nine innings for Michigan
(48-20 overall, 2-0 World Series)
Monday, totalling nine strikeouts
in just 100 pitches en route to a
2-0 win over Florida State (42-22,
1-1).
Henry was given the benefit
of playing with a lead thanks to
early fireworks as sophomore
center fielder Jesse Franklin
swung at the first pitch offered to
him, launching a rocket to right
field that sailed over the bullpen
and into the upper deck for a 1-0
lead in the first inning.
“Going into the game we
weren’t
necessarily
thinking
to swing at the first pitch or
anything like that,” Franklin
said. “As hitters in general we
were just trying to look for
fastballs early in the game to hit
hard.”
Added Michigan coach Erik
Bakich: “I think any team that
scores first has a little bit of
a confidence and a looseness
about them that allows our —
the freedom of being able to take
chances on the bases, to employ
some different types of plays,
whether it be first-and-third
plays or just being aggressive on
the bases.”
The Seminoles attempted an
answer with a leadoff double to
center field in the bottom of the
first. A diving Franklin couldn’t
make the highlight reel catch, and
Mike Salvatore was in scoring
position with no one out. But
their offense floundered as three
straight batters were retired.
They wouldn’t get another
baserunner until the fifth inning,
as Henry shut down Florida State,
barely breaking a sweat. Of the
five batters he allowed on base,
two were hit by a pitch.
“It’s easy when you can trust
those guys behind you and just
kind of watch them work and let
them make the highlight plays,”
Henry said.
When the Seminoles made
contact, though, it would seem
to always go to a Wolverine
defender.
Junior
left
fielder
Christian practically stood still,
letting fly balls nestle into his
waiting glove.
“Coach Schnabel and Coach
Brdar, the defensive positioning
tonight I thought was fantastic,
as well,” Bakich said. “It seemed
like we had a lot of at ‘em balls
tonight and that’s because our
guys were standing in the right
spot.”
Seminole right-hander CJ Van
Eyck countered with his own
magic, striking out nine batters
and
stifling
any
momentum
Michigan could gain.
“Tommy covered up a lot of
mistakes
offensively
tonight,”
Bakich
said.
“Not
making
adjustments to some tricksters
out of the bullpen, the sidearm
guy and then the backwards
mixer lefty.”
But the Wolverines fought
through their at-bats. Bullock
had a nine-pitch at-bat, and the
team had six at-bats with six
pitches or more against Van Eyk.
All the work tired him out, and
Michigan found success against
him again in the fifth inning as
he surpassed 100 pitches.
Two straight singles from
sophomore
designated
hitter
Jordan Nwogu and Franklin put
runners on the corners with one
out and the game saw its first
scoring opportunity since the
second inning. Van Eyck struck
out junior right fielder Jordan
Brewer, but senior first baseman
Jimmy Kerr hit a two-out single
to put the Wolverines up 2-0.
It was all that they needed
with Henry on the mound.
It didn’t matter that they
struck out 17 times, it didn’t
matter that Bullock had to make
plays in left field and it didn’t
matter that Nwogu’s fifth-inning
slide into third will make its
rounds all over the internet.
Henry was just that good.
KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior left-hander Tommy Henry threw a complete game shutout en route to a 2-0 victory over Florida State on Monday.