With an ERA of 3.43 going into the season, right-handed pitcher Will Tomlinson ’20 (1-3) is proving to be a core asset to the Brown baseball program. He led the Bears (8-18, 5-4 Ivy) in a sweep of Cornell at an away series over the weekend. Tomlinson tossed two earned runs over seven innings to secure a four-game winning streak for Bruno. For his stellar performance this weekend, Tomlinson has been named the Herald’s Athlete of the Week.
Herald: Congratulations on winning the Cornell series! How did you get started playing baseball?
Tomlinson: I’ve been playing forever. It was the sport I most closely associated with and enjoyed growing up and it just turned out that I was better at it than other sports. I tried pretty much everything growing up — basketball (and) soccer. But something about throwing hard was a good time and came easily.
What’s your favorite and least favorite part of practice?
(My) favorite part of practice is if our pitching staff shuts out a team — like let’s them score zero runs — we get pitchers (batting practice). All the guys who never get to hit go out and take some swings. That’s a good time. Haven’t had it yet this year, but there’s a lot of games left. We will. Least favorite is just dealing with the wind. Our field gets a thousand miles per hour of wind and you’re standing out there for a while, so it gets tough having to weather the wind for hours at a time.
Any pregame rituals?
Earlier in the season I wasn’t pitching great, and I started to bring my (PlayStation 4) on trips so I could just play and get my mind right the night before and not be anxious about anything. As soon as I started doing that, I started pitching well this season and I haven’t stopped since.
What is your most memorable baseball moment since coming to Brown?
Last year at Dartmouth. It was the best game I’d thrown. We’d actually had to have it postponed until Tuesday. … So we came back on Tuesday to play that game and I ended up doing really well. It was nice to be the guy who could put out a great performance and get everyone out of that hole.
Do you have a signature move?
Actually, I do. A bunch of my teammates were giving me a hard time for this yesterday. When I come set my glove, I kind of perch it on top of the ball. It looks super awkward, everybody says.
What do you do when you’re not playing baseball?
I’m an (economics) major. There’s not a ton of time between school (and baseball). Me and a couple of teammates bought a couple of guinea pigs a while back. They’re fun to play with and just kind of hang around. They bring a lot of joy in a little package. I like to kind of go explore the big cities around (when the team travels). Like when we go play Penn in (Philadelphia), I like going around and checking out (the city). I’m not from out here so I’ve never really been to New York (or) Philadelphia, so when we go out there it’s pretty cool to see all that stuff.
What are the spectator perks of Brown baseball?
Our dugout’s just got a ton of energy. When you combine that many guys altogether, you get some antics going. I’m sure if anybody is watching on ESPN, you always see some clown in the dugout with seven cups coming off of his ears or seven hats on. In my off days, I like to be that guy just to bring something fun and keep the dugout light. I think we do have a really good group of guys, and we’re honestly a good baseball club this year. In years past, maybe we haven’t put the best product on the field, but this year we’ve got something going. It’s something to come out and watch, for sure.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
