12 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.