N I A G A R A G A Z E T T E niagara-gazette.com
May 9, 2010GRAND ISLAND —
Grand Island pitcher Ben Tomkins has had a rather roller coaster start to his
junior season.
Not only has the three-sport athlete struggled at the plate, but he recently
surrendered seven runs in two innings of work against Kenmore East in what
Vikings coach Dean Santorio calls Tomkins’ worst outing of his young career.
But as the old cliché goes, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Tomkins rebounded firmly last Wednesday in a critical 4-1 defeat of Niagara
Frontier League counterpart Niagara-Wheatfield. The righthander tossed a
complete-game in a contest shortened by inclement weather, allowing just the
single run.
“He’s frustrated, but he’s a battler just like he did on the mound (that
day),” Santorio said after the win over the Falcons. “He’s had some bad
luck. He’s hit the ball hard a number of times. It’s frustrating for him.”
And while his pitching numbers have lagged, he hasn’t been able to establish
himself at the plate, either, as he’s batting around .160, Santorio said.
But contact isn’t the issue. It’s finding a gap, and well, a little bit of
luck, too.
“No one likes being in a slump, especially when I’ve been hitting the
ball,” said Tomkins, who improved to 2-1 on the mound with the victory
Wednesday. “It’s just been at people so that doesn’t add to it. Sooner or
later it’s going to have to hit a hole, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Entering the season, the Vikings were to rely on an experienced and talented
pitching staff, headlined by Tomkins and senior star Joel Klock.
Although Tomkins may not have the jaw-dropping stuff such as a teammate like
Klock, Santorio said his junior pitcher’s best attributes are playing to his
strengths.
“Ben, in any sport he plays, is not flashy. He doesn’t do things that make
you say, ‘wow, that’s unbelievable,”’ the coach said. “But he does
every little thing well. Anything he has to do, he does it well.”
Santorio added Tomkins usually pitches best when he keeps the ball down in the
strike zone. As long as he maintains that location, he’s able to leave the
rest up to his defense to corral a routine ground ball or lazy pop up.
Tomkins agreed.
“That’s definitely what I focus on,” said Tomkins, who went 5-1 on the
mound last year including a win in the Class A Championship game against Albion.
“I keep it low and have it ground out or fly out because I know I’m not
going to overpower people.”
As for his play at the plate, he’s confident he’ll soon be a consistent
contributor to the hit department for the Vikings, who enter today’s home date
with Lew-Port with a 7-1 NFL record. Last season as a sophomore, he maintained
an average above .300.
“I feel like we’re going to do well,” Tomkins said of his team going
forward. “For myself, I’m hoping to get out of my slump soon. Everyone has
just been playing good. We’ve been hitting the ball; we’ve been fielding
well, so I think we will finish good.”
Tomkins has no problem putting his current hitting woes behind him, just like he
already deposited the turbulent outing against Ken East as part of the distant
past. Tomkins and the Vikings have just one goal on their minds — to repeat.
“Hopefully,” he said with a smile. “We all hope to get back-to-back
championships. That would be real nice.”
Ben Tomkins
• SCHOOL: Grand Island
• YEAR: Junior
• POSITION: Pitcher, third base
• QUOTE: “He does every little thing well. Anything he has to do, he does it
well.”
— Dean Santorio