Long road back has led Heine to top of Rider’s rotation
LAWRENCEVILLE >> It’s been a while since Dylan Heine has felt this good.
Nearly three years of little to no baseball can take you off your game both physically and mentally.
Now in his fourth season in the Rider University program, Heine is finally healthy, and best of all, pitching like an ace.
“Every outing, I feel like I’m getting better, going longer,” Heine said after he tossed seven innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory over Niagara on Friday afternoon. “That was the second longest this year. I feel more confident, feel more ready to go.”
The former All-South Jersey standout at Haddonfield High made just 14 appearances for the Broncs in his first three seasons due to a combination of the Covid pandemic and Tommy John surgery ahead of the 2021 season.
Heine returned last season, but was limited to nine appearances as he struggled to find his form after the injury. But two years removed from surgery, he looks and feels more like himself.
“It’s been a lot I’ve had to go through,” Heine said. “This is really my first full year. Being back in that starter role, it’s an easier routine, better routine and I feel more like myself.”
Heine found out from coach Dr. Barry Davis and pitching coach Mike Petrowski that he was going to be the No. 1 starter before the team headed off for winter break.
That allowed him to prepare for the season with certainty. More than he’s ever had before.
“It’s a lot easier because you know what you are doing throughout the week every day,” Heine said. “You have a plan. During the midweeks, you know you are not going to get in there so it doesn’t affect you on the weekend.”
Heine improved to 3-0 and dropped his ERA to 3.03 after he allowed one unearned run on four hits and struck out seven on Friday.
Over his last two starts, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-hander has delivered 12 innings without giving up an earned run and has 13 strikeouts against one walk.
“He’s getting confident,” Davis said. “… He’s feeling good about himself. He’s throwing strikes, pounding the zone and of right now that first-game guy has been able to keep us from using up a bunch of guy.”
Heine works with a four-pitch mix —
fastball, curveball, slider and change-up — and was 87-89 with his fastball. He anticipates his velocity will creep into the low90s as he continues to build strength.
On Friday, his change-up had good drop on it and he used it as an out pitch, particularly when he struck out the side in the sixth inning to limit the damage to one run after a leadoff single and his own throwing error.
“It’s a huge help (to have four pitches) because first time through the order you don’t have to use all four and then you introduce another pitch the second time around that they haven’t seen,” Heine said. “They you have three put-away pitches with offspeed.”
Heine finished his outing with a strikeout in the seventh after Rider (17-8, 3-1) had rallied with four in the bottom of the sixth.
“As the game goes on, he gets a little swagger,” catcher Brian Skettini said. “He starts yelling a little bit after he makes a big strikeout. I love that out of him.”
Skettini, who has reached base safely in 27 straight games dating back to last season and is hitting a team-best .322, knocked in the go-ahead run with a single past a drawn-in infield in the sixth. Socrates Bardatsos followed three batters later with a two-run double to break it open.
Skettini launched a solo homer — his first of the season — in the eighth to add an insurance run, and Danny Kirwin worked the final two frames in relief of Heine for his sixth save.
“The first game is always important,” Heine said. “Our offense helped me after that run scored, but as long as I keep doing that, it will go well.”