April 8, 2008

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - A baseball game feels a lot different in the ninth inning than it does in the first.

Just ask Jimmy Gillheeney of NC State. The sophomore spent most of his baseball life as a starting pitcher, given the ball at the beginning of a game and asked to throw six or seven innings.

Now he's the Wolfpack closer, entering most games with a tight score and asked to get three outs as quickly as possible to preserve a victory.

"I have really grown to love the intensity at the end of the game, the pressure," Gillheeney said. "One of my greatest feelings is coming in and being that last guy on the mound. That's really special."

And he has responded with a really special performance. In 11 appearances, Gillheeney is 1-0 with a 0.52 earned run average and seven saves. In 17.1 innings he has allowed only nine hits and five walks while recording 23 strikeouts.

"He does everything at the end of a game that you have to do," said Wolfpack assistant coach Tom Holliday, who manages the pitching staff. "You have to be able to hold runners and you have to be able to field bunts. He does those things well, and he doesn't get too emotional. He's never too up and he's never too down, which I've always felt is important for a closer."

Gillheeney is the back end of a Wolfpack bullpen that has been outstanding all season. It has recorded an 11-2 record with 11 saves and a 1.85 ERA. That has helped push the Pack to a 20-9 overall record. Last weekend's sweep of Wake Forest boosted State to an 8-6 mark in the ACC.

State's offense, sluggish much of the season, erupted for 39 runs in that series. There is potential for a strong finish in the second half of the ACC season and on into the tournament in May.

"Now that we're getting quality at-bats, making quality pitches and playing great defense," Gillheeney said, "I think our confidence level is so high that we feel we can play against anybody right now."

Gillheeney's appreciation of his role is an acquired taste. He wasn't sure how he would respond to something he had never tried. But he has adjusted to the physical aspect of pitching two or three times a week in short stints rather than once a week as a starter. He did both last year, posting a 2-2 record with a 7.65 ERA as a starter and going 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in relief.

There was no grand plan to make him this year's closer. Holliday said there were so many arms available during fall practice that once the starters were selected, everyone else was put in the bullpen and left to sort things out. As it happened, Gillheeney took to the closer's role.

"It's a lot different," he said. "You pay attention to the whole game a lot more, you get to see a lot of the batters in advance before you pitch to them, which I like. I think it benefits tremendously.

"As a starter, you've really only got to be mentally prepared for the game you're going to pitch. As a closer, you have to be prepared for every game because you never know in the beginning if it's going to be a close game."

Although solidly built at 6-feet and 200 pounds, Gillheeney isn't the huge, flame-throwing closer that has almost become a baseball stereotype. That's not what Holliday is looking for anyway.

"I've always felt closers have to be pitchers that can deal with circumstances, situations and, more than anything, emotions," Holliday said. "I don't look for that 6-foot-8, 280-pound, ugly guy that throws 100 miles an hour and doesn't know where it's going.

"What good does it do if your closer is always in trouble? I like to get the inning over with in a hurry and Jimmy does that really well and we go on about our business. He throws strikes and he doesn't give people an opportunity to beat him, and if you're going to beat him you'll have to hit him."

Although he's a southpaw, Gillheeney has no trouble getting left-handed or right-handed hitters out. He said he throws a fastball, curve, slider and change-up and uses different "out pitches - Holliday doesn't want to divulge any trade secrets - for lefties and righties.

"The number one priority of a pitcher is always to throw strikes," Gillheeney said. "First-pitch strikes are probably one of the most important things as a closer; you always want to be ahead of the hitter.

"I try to stick to what I do best, which is location. My fastball is 88-89 and is not going to overpower anybody. I bring four pitches to the table and I try to use all four with command, and it has worked out for me."

Because ACC teams play five games a week - two non-conference during the week and three league games over the weekend - there is plenty of work for bullpens "to keep everyone happy," as Holliday put it.

State has gotten excellent performances from Alex Sogard (11 games, 1-1, 3.00 ERA), Joey Cutler (11 games, 3-0, 2.12), Drew Taylor (10 games, 2-1, 3.13), Jake Buchanan (9 games, 0-0, 2.45, 2 saves) and Kyle Rutter (8 games, 1-0, 0.00, 1 save).

"We have a lot of fun in the bullpen," Gillheeney said. "We talk about different situations and I think talking among ourselves helps us really focus in on what's going on. It keeps our heads clear and it keeps us relaxed.

"Everyone's goal is to go in and get outs; it doesn't matter what the inning is or what's going on in the game. When nobody is uptight in the bullpen, we always feel confident we can go in and get the job done. We have one job - to get who we face out and get our hitters in so they can hit, and I think we do very well at that."

Holliday said he wants his bullpen to expect every game to be 2-1, which he believes leaves less room for mistakes. He emphasizes throwing first-pitch strikes, not letting the leadoff man get on, being able to throw all your pitches for strikes - essentially the cardinal rules of pitching. He wants everyone to be able to throw three pitches.

"They know their roles, they're rested and when they go to the mound they know what their job is," Holliday said. "If you go there and walk a couple, you expect to be taken out. But don't sit around and worry about a bad outing. There have been a couple of guys who have had a bad day and the next time they go out they pitch better, and you can grow from that."

There's a lot left to this season - State is getting ready for mid-week games against East Carolina and Coastal Carolina and then a three-game series against Duke (as this is being written). At this point, Gillheeney is having fun and not thinking about next year. Holliday said he would consider making him back into a starter, which Gillheeney said would be "an honor."

At the same time, if he's more effective as a closer, he's willing to stay there.

"I just want to do what would help our team win," he said. "Our ultimate goal is to go to the College World Series and whatever I can do to help our team get there, I'm all for it."

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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