When Terrapin baseball coach Erik Bakich came to get the ball from starter Brett Harman in the fifth inning of the Feb. 27 series opener between the Terps and Delaware, Harman’s season had seemingly already reached its lowest point only four games in.
Bakich had called upon his ace to help the team bounce back from a season-opening sweep at the hands of Florida International. Instead, Harman flopped, allowing 11 hits and a career-high 10 earned runs in fewer than five innings as the Blue Hens cruised to a 17-3 victory.
Disappointment etched on his face, Harman reluctantly turned the ball over to his coach and made the long and slow walk back to the dugout. The rough outing was just another chapter in the ongoing development of the Terps’ most talented yet inconsistent pitcher.
In the week following the debacle against Delaware, Harman worked in bullpen sessions with pitching coach Sean Kenny, who noticed Harman was raising his shoulder during his windup. The hitch disrupted his throwing motion and eliminated the downward sink on his fastball and his slider.
Maintaining his form would be a continuous point of emphasis for Harman, in order to keep the issue from resurfacing.
If his last three starts are any indication, it hasn’t.
Since the adjustment, Harman is 3-0 with a 1.87 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 24 innings, including back-to-back dominant performances in wins against ACC opponents Virginia Tech and No. 3 Georgia Tech.
“Sometimes I have the tendency to leave the ball up in the zone, and you can’t do that as a pitcher and still expect to be successful,” Harman said. “Recently, I have been trying to really become not just a thrower but a pitcher as well, and really work on my location and pitch with confidence.”
Armed with three above-average pitches, Harman has always had the ability to shut down an opposing lineup on any given night. But after starting last season in the weekend rotation, Harman’s role on the team and production on the mound fluctuated as he struggled with confidence issues.
Despite posting a mediocre 4-5 record with a 5.99 ERA in 73.2 innings last season, he showed flashes of his potential. He finished 15th in the conference in strikeouts with 75, and set a career high in punchouts with 10 in a loss to Virginia Tech. He later tied the mark in a complete-game win against Wake Forest.
“I think the Brett Harman you see now is the real Brett Harman,” Bakich said. “Sometimes there are days when you just suck, but since then, he has consistently been filling the strike zone with four pitches and he has given us a huge lift at the front of the rotation.”
Harman was initially slated to be the No. 2 starter for the Terps, but when projected ace Scott Swinson was dismissed from the team in the fall, Harman’s experience and ability made him the obvious choice at the front of the rotation.
His continued improvement will be essential for the Terps, especially as they enter the teeth of their conference schedule. With an offense built to win close, low-scoring games, and a thin bullpen, Harman’s ability to pitch effectively and deep into games will play a crucial role in the Terps’ success.
Kenny refused to speculate on Harman’s potential, instead choosing to wait until the team has had the opportunity to evaluate him further against conference opponents. But until then, he will keep handing the mild-mannered junior the ball.
“He is just so low-maintenance, and I mean that in a good way,” Kenny said. “He never loses his cool or ever gets truly disappointed, even after that Delaware game. We will need some other guys to step up if we are gonna have success, but if he keeps pitching the way he is, he could be right up there with the best in the conference.”
lemaire@umdbk.com
