ACE UP THE SLEEVE: SOUTHEAST PITCHER GOES FROM ANONYMOUS TO PHENOMENAL

Meteoric rises are not an everyday occurrence in the sports world.

But Southeast Missouri State University right-hander Todd Pennington has put together a year that in many ways resembles the well-documented ascent of the St. Louis Rams' Kurt Warner, who went from backup quarterback to NFL MVP in a matter of months.

Entering this season, Pennington wasn't even considered the top pitcher on the Southeast staff. As the campaign winds down, the Shawnee (Ill.) High School product not only is a lock for Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, he is the national NCAA Division I leader in earned-run average and ranks high in several other statistical categories.

"The numbers Todd has put up are just ridiculous. They're almost not even believable," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan. "If he's not an All-American, it would be the biggest sham I've ever seen. His numbers stand up against anybody in the country."

Those numbers would make any Cy Young Award winner proud. Pennington has an 11-1 record, tying the school's single-season victory mark with at least two starts remaining, and he is tied for 11th nationally in wins. His 0.86 ERA was well ahead of Southern Cal's Mark Prior's 1.07 mark entering the week. In 84 innings, he has struck out 109 ranking ninth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.7 and walked 33.

And, perhaps most amazingly, Pennington has given up just 41 hits, all but eight of them singles. If the season ended today, Pennington's ratio of 4.4 hits allowed per every nine innings would rank eighth all-time in Division I.

Not bad for a guy who, after two non-descript college seasons spent primarily as a reliever, had some fairly modest goals for his junior season.

"I worked hard over the summer and I wanted to be a starter," said Pennington, who was a combined 1-1 with a 6.12 ERA in 41 2/3 innings as a freshman and sophomore. "I wanted to at least win a few games and try to get better."

But, added Pennington with a laugh, "I didn't think I'd be doing this. I'm as surprised as anybody about the season I'm having."

Reasons for success

So, how has he done it? Pennington and the person he works most closely with on his craft, Southeast pitching coach Jeremy Tyson, have their theories. They center on, among other things, a wicked change-up that takes on several forms, better control and command of his pitches, confidence and a first-rate mental approach. Getting to throw regularly hasn't hurt either.

Pennington said he gained a lot of confidence last summer pitching for a team in Michigan.

"I went 7-4 in a really good league," Pennington said. "Any time you have command of the pitches, it does so much for you. Once you get command, you should have confidence to throw pitches at any time.

"I think part of it is getting to pitch a lot. And coach Tyson worked a lot on the mental game with me. I feel like I'm starting to realize how important that is to pitching."

Said Tyson, himself a former standout hurler at national power LSU, "The old saying of pitching being 90 percent mental, that's pretty real in college baseball. You just have to be able to make some adjustments and do them as often as you can. You have to exploit the hitters' weaknesses and expand the (strike) zone. Todd has done a great job of that.

"Todd has really gained command of both the pitches he throws the most, the fastball and change-up. He doesn't throw to the white of the plate, he pitches to the black and even off the black, like a Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine. He'll expand the strike zone and make hitters get themselves out."

What perhaps makes Pennington's success even more remarkable is that he really doesn't have a curveball. And, although the strapping 6-foot-2, 210-pounder occasionally reaches up to 90 miles per hour on the radar game, he spends most games throwing his fastball in the mid-80s range.

"Todd can throw the fastball up to 90 if wants to, but he tries to throw about 85 or 86 to get more movement on the ball," Tyson said.

Then there is that change-up, the offspeed pitch that Pennington appears to be able to put just about wherever he wants in any kind of situation. His command of the change-up, along with the lively fastball, has kept hitters off-balance.

Pennington described his various change-ups this way: "I have one that I just throw for strikes. It breaks down a little bit and it's just a control pitch. Then I have a hard-breaking one. It's kind of like a curve that breaks down. And I actually have a third one that I try to throw with the same arm speed as my fastball. It bites pretty good and it usually bounces in front of the plate. It's pretty much my strikeout pitch."

Perhaps Southeast senior catcher Jeff Bourbon had the best reason for Pennington's rags-to-riches season.

"Somebody must have hit him with a bat this summer," said a grinning Bourbon after another stellar Pennington outing a few weeks ago. Then turning serious, Bourbon said, "He's just been dominating and it's great to be a part of."

Rising in a hurry

Pennington, who had an impressive fall and began the season as the Indians' No. 3 starter, was solid from the beginning and it wasn't long before he had become exceptional, which caused Hogan to move him to the top of the staff.

"Todd had a good summer and I think that really carried him into the fall, where he did very well," said Hogan. "When the season started, I didn't know how things would unfold with our staff, but we were very excited about it and we felt like Todd was going to be one of our top pitchers."

By about the midway point of the season, Pennington's numbers had become so impressive, he was starting to show up in the national statistics. And then a couple of weeks ago, he rose to the top of the ERA list, where he has remained.

Pennington said it's nice to get the recognition, but he tries to keep things in perspective.

"It's a team game," he said. "They're the team and I'm just one part of it. I think the defense has a lot to do with my performance. They make a lot of spectacular plays behind me."

There are times when Pennington has undoubtably benefited from the defense behind him, which leads the OVC in fielding percentage.

Pennington's willingness to share the credit doesn't surprise Hogan, whose 33-16 squad has clinched second place in the OVC.

"Todd has always been a pleasure to coach ever since he's gotten here," he said. "He a very considerate young man. He's a pleasure to be with every day."

Always a pitcher

Pennington figures he was meant to be on the mound.

"I've pitched ever since I was 4. I haven't missed a summer yet," he said. "I like being out there, having the ball in my hand, being in control."

A baseball and basketball star at Shawnee, Pennington was named the Southern Illinois Player of the Year as a senior. While in high school, he spent his summers playing for the Cape Girardeau American Legion program, which gave him a liking for Capaha Field.

Pennington said he also enjoyed attending Southeast games while in high school and he figured he'd be playing for the Indians some day.

"I came to a lot of SEMO's games and I had a feeling that was the school I was going to," he said.

Pennington, who could very well be selected in the Major League Amateur Draft next month, was also a standout hitter in both high school and Legion ball, which meant Hogan actually had a decision to make regarding his college position.

"We actually signed Todd as an outfielder/hitter/pitcher," said Hogan. "I saw his arm and liked his makeup that way. With the club we had at the time, we thought it was best that he pitch for us."

Added Hogan with a smile, "I guess it ended up being the right thing."

About as right as Kurt Warner quarterbacking the Rams.

COMING OF AGE

Todd Pennington at Southeast Missouri State University

G GS CG IP H R ER BB SO W-L ERA

1999-2000: 25 2 0 41.2 46 35 28 32 39 1-1 6.12

2001: 16 13 5 84.0 41 13 8 33 109 11-1 0.86