Hartland pitcher Michael Zielinski trending positively after baseball win over Howell
HOWELL — Michael Zielinski took the mound Monday wanting nothing to do with pitch counts or any such limitations.
Each outing so far has been part of a building process trying to get him ready to handle the workload of an ace or No. 2 starter for Hartland’s baseball team come playoff time.
Zielinski took a significant step in his build-up for the postseason by pitching five-plus innings and throwing 103 pitches during a 6-4 victory over Howell.
He allowed two runs on four hits and four walks, striking out nine batters. He was pulled after allowing a double and walk to start the sixth inning.
“I’ve been working on a pitch count,” Zielinski said. “I started at about 20; that was about two innings. I worked up to about 40 ish. Then I was on 75 last Monday, not the greatest outing, for sure. Today, I just wanted the ball longer. I felt I had it in me to keep going. I fell off there at the end. I just wanted the ball in that big moment.”
Zielinski pitched five times before Monday, never going longer than three innings, while going a total of 12⅓ innings. He threw a season-high 73 pitches one week earlier against Brighton, walking six batters along the way.
He kept Howell scoreless through four innings before the Highlanders broke through for a run in the fifth. One of the Highlanders’ three sixth-inning runs counted against Zielinski.
“I liked that he was fighting me for the ball to stay in the game,” Hartland coach Brad Guenther said. “I probably should have pulled him going into the sixth, but he’s been building up all year and I think he’s kind of earned that with last year’s performance and this year’s. He’s been really lights-out when he’s been in the zone.”
Because of an arm issue, Zielinski didn’t pitch much during the offseason after striking out 44 batters and posting a 2.15 earned run average in 26 innings as a sophomore last season. He’s fanned 29 batters in 17⅓ innings and has a 2.02 ERA this year.
“From now on, I should be good to go, as long as I recover from this outing well,” Zielinski said. “I guess we’ll find that out Wednesday, Thursday. I should be all right.”
Zielinski has been on the varsity since his freshman year, starting in center field that season in the state quarterfinals against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
“I love to hit, but I love to compete on the mound,” he said. “There’s nothing like it. I was always a better pitcher than a hitter until I got to high school. Freshman year, I didn’t really pitch that much; it kind of got away from me.
“Last year, I gained some (velocity), gained some confidence. I pitched some games behind a stacked pitching lineup last year, multiple guys who are playing in college and succeeding in college. I got to learn from them and got better.”
Zielinski saved himself an earned run when he headed to center field after being replaced on the mound.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Howell’s Brett Parris flew out to Zielinski, who fired a strike to catcher Brayden Crowe to double off Neko Hall at the plate.
“I tracked back and caught it,” Zielinski said. “It didn’t look like the kid got the greatest jump or didn’t really hustle very hard. I just let it fly. I think the adrenaline from just getting out there, just getting off the mound, helped me out there, too.”
Down 5-0 after the top of the fifth, Howell got the lead to 6-4 with three runs in the sixth. The Highlanders had two runners on base with one out in the seventh, but Landon Brown got the final two outs in relief to secure the Eagles’ victory.
“It’s good to see our guys fight when their back’s up against the wall,” Howell coach Matt Hunt said. “They’ve fought all year. We’ve just got to minimize the little errors.”
Howell (7-12) will visit Hartland (15-7-1) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to conclude the two-game M-59 series.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Michael Zielinski's longest outing helps Hartland baseball beat Howell
