By Steve Krah
PBR Indiana Correspondent

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WEST LAFAYETTE — There’s not a lot of wasted motion for Tanner Tully on Fridays. 

At least not when he has the baseball as the starting pitcher for Ohio State University. 

The junior left-hander gets the sign from his catcher, goes into his windup and delivers — usually a strike — and quickly repeats the process. 

Tully, who helped Elkhart Central High School to an IHSAA Class 4A state championship as a senior in 2013, is just as efficient in talking about his game.  

He gets right to the point.

“I just go out there and do the best I can and let the team do what they can to get a win out of it,” Tully said Friday, April 29 after a 3-1 victory at Purdue University. He turned in a team-best sixth quality start (three earned runs or less in six or more innings) and pushed his 2016 record to 5-3 with a 2.60 earned run average plus 55 strikeouts and 16 walks in 72 2/3 innings. 

Where has the southpaw that has been the Buckeyes’ weekend series starter since his freshmen season gotten better? 

“I’m making quality pitches overall,” Tully said after an outing in which he threw 96 pitches (62 for strikes) in seven innings, giving up three singles while striking out five Boilermakers and walking one. “I’m making my 1 and 2 pitches better, my put-away pitches, slowing down with runners on base.” 

Going back to his high school days, Tully has been a quick worker. 

“It’s just my rhythm,” Tully said. “Get the ball. Pitch it. Get an out. Let the hitters get in (the batter’s box) again. 

“It definitely helps in keeping the defense on its toes.” 

Tully, who began the season on the D1 Baseball B1G Prospects list, has been hitting his spots this season with fastballs, curve balls and change-ups. 

Ohio State pitching coach Mike Stafford has worked with Tully to expand his arsenal. 

“What makes Tanner effective is his fastball command in and out and down in the (strike) zone,” Stafford said. “He can work both sides of the plate with his fastball. That widens the plate up for his off-speed pitches. He’s made a conscious effort on his change-up getting better. He didn’t throw too many (against Purdue), but he’s really worked at it in the last year or so. 

“What makes him effective is his ability to throw strikes and work both sides of the plate. And he’s such a competitor out there.” 

In his previous outing, Tully had the longest outing of his college career when he went nine innings in a no-decision Friday, April 22 at Illinois. He threw 106 pitches (71 strikes) while allowing seven hits and fanning six Illini batters and walking one. 

“I worked pretty quick,” Tully said. “The game went pretty quick for both pitchers. It was a good game.” 

Tully and Illinois right-hander Cody Sedlock — who both pitched the famed Cape Cod League (Tully for the Orlean Redbirds and Sedlock for the Bourne Braves) last summer — just kept the tempo up and kept putting up zeroes. 

Sedlock went 10 2/3 innings in a contest that ended up with the Illini winning 1-0 in 15 innings. 

While a quick pace can work to Tully’s advantage, Stafford stresses slowing down when runners are on base where the left-hander has a tendency to rush and lose his mechanics a little bit. 

“It’s easier said than done, but sometimes your mind out there goes a little faster than you want it to go,” Stafford said. “Being able to stay back is going to let him make more quality pitches. As opposed to working quick and worrying about that runner, then you make a mistake to the hitter and you’ve got two guys on base instead of one.” 

Stafford spends as much time around the field as anyone and he’s noticed another change in Tully. 

“He’s a very reserved kid, but he’s opened up a lot the last year or so,” Stafford said. “He’s one of the louder guys in the dugout when he’s not pitching.  

“Everybody loves Tanner. It’s hard to be mad at Tanner. He’s got a great personality. He keeps it loose for the other guys. He does a great job on Friday when we need him to go out their and throw some zeroes and give the team a chance to win.” 

Stafford described Tully’s time between Friday starts.  

Saturday is for conditioning, Sunday for playing catch, Monday for mechanics, Tuesday for a bullpen session with Stafford before gearing up for the next Friday start. 

Ohio State’s next Friday game is May 6 against Iowa at Bill Davis Stadium-Nick Swisher Field in Columbus, Ohio. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. 

Tully has two more finals before wrapping up the spring semester at OSU.  

The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft is June 9 and Tully is eligible.  

Neither Stafford or Tully thinking too much about that now. 

“I just want him to go out there and throw to the best of his ability,” Stafford said. “He throws enough strikes, he’s left-handed and he works both sides of the plate where he’ll have a chance to play at the next level. Right now, his focus is to make a good run the last three or four weeks of the season.” 

Tully said: “I’m going to get school done and whatever happens happens.”