For more than 10 months, Tyler Herman knew that he was going to be counted upon to be the ace of the Lyndhurst staff following the graduation of its top three starting pitchers.
To Herman that meant significant time in the weight room to carry the physical and mental load of being the No. 1 starter after previously pitching as a reliever.
“(My preparation) changed throughout the winter,” said Herman, who put on 20 pounds of muscle since the end of last season. “I put a lot of my work into the weight room and I really valued that I was going to be the head of the rotation. It really put more (responsibility) on me and I knew I had to do more stuff than when I was coming out of the bullpen last year and there were other guys before me.
“This was my year. This is the time to shine.So I was in the weight room getting ready for the season and to be the No. 1.”
If the season’s first week is any indication, it was time well spent.
In Monday’s season opener, Herman pitched five shutout innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts and no walks to give Lyndhurst a rain-shortened 2-0 victory at Becton.
Due to throwing only 58 pitches on Monday, Herman was eligible to come back three days later against rival North Arlington. Herman delivered another gem, this time a two-hit shutout as he struck out eight and walked one in a 75-pitch masterpiece as the Bears earned a 4-0 win.
Twelve scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts against just three hits and a walk? Not only are those the numbers of a bonafide ace, but the numbers of The Observer Athlete of the Week.
“He’s been prepared for this,” head coach Patrick Auteri said. “He obviously knew coming into the season that he was going to be our guy and I think that motivated him. All his work he did in the offseason, getting in the weight room, throwing his own bullpen sessions, it’s a testament to his work ethic.”
Herman credits the offseason work for being a big contributor in his fastball velocity increasing from the high-70s as a sophomore to being clocked in the 84-85 mile per hour range this offseason.
Even in just two starts, Herman says he has noticed how the added strength has been beneficial for his stamina on the mound.
“I’ve just gotten overall stronger,” Herman said. “My arm’s been healthier and I feel like I can go the distance more than last year because I really wasn’t in the weight room as much before this year. It really has helped me going through innings five, six and seven.”
Last year, with three-year starters Anthony Pizzutti, Michael Rizzo and Jack Nowinski in the rotation, Herman was used as Auteri’s top reliever. Relying on just a fastball and a slider, Herman appeared in 12 games, posting a 1.02 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
While it was a fine season, Herman knew the move to starting, required developing more of his secondary pitches, most notably his curveball and changeup.
“He definitely wasn’t as developed with the breaking. I think that’s the big key,” said Auteri. “I know he has confidence in the slider. I know he has confidence in his curveball to throw it for a strike.
“I think the command (of all of his pitches) is the biggest thing that he’s worked on. And obviously having the improved velocity just makes his other pitches even better.”
In addition to his work on the mound, Herman is also off to a good start at the plate, going 3-for-7 with two walks and a RBI in Lyndhurst’s first three games of the season.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)