Tomlinson Fulfilled Dream With Commitment To Michigan

PORTAGE - At a young age Ty Tomlinson witnessed what hard work was all about.

“I went in to work out with a trainer when I was 10 or 11 and I watched them,” Tomlinson said in reference to Tommy Henry and Ben Keizer, Portage Northern grads who went on to play college baseball at Michigan. “I loved how they work and that made me want to work harder to be like them.”

The Portage Northern sophomore now has something in common as a University of Michigan commit.

“Growing up watching them, Michigan has always been a dream school for me,” related Tomlinson, who lived two houses away from Keizer. “They instilled my love for Michigan.”

Three years ago Tomlinson was in Omaha when the Wolverines finished second at the College World Series with Henry and Keizer key contributors.

“I watched all but the finals,” Tomlinson remembered. “It was fun for sure. It was a dream at the time for me to be able to do that, and I wasn’t sure it was possible, but it made me want to work and I thought in a couple of years maybe that would be me.”

Fast forward and the fourth-ranked 2024 third baseman in the state has a future planned at the university in Ann Arbor.

“In December of 2020 in my freshman year of high school my coach (Chris) Andrews at Portage Northern reached out to coach (Nick) Schnabel at Michigan and we talked that night,” Tomlinson reflected about his first conversation with the assistant head coach at UM. “We’ve been talking ever since. I had a good high school season and coach Schnabel saw me in the summer and we started talking more frequently.

“Then I went to a football game in the fall and a camp a month or two after and talked with (head) coach (Erik) Bakich and coach Schnabel. A week or two after camp my Portage Northern coach said they were interested.”

That interest eventually turned into an offer and commitment by Tomlinson, who was also considering Kentucky and Western Michigan.

“What made it the right fit for me was they have a great coaching staff and I love the culture they’ve built,” Tomlinson explained. “There are similarities to what I have now at Northern which made it something I couldn’t pass up.”

One trait stood out to Michigan when it came to the 6-3 185-pounder.

“They like the leadership role they feel I can play coming from Northern,” Tomlinson noted. “The coaches here understand the importance of leadership and leaders are who go to Michigan.”

An improved game also helped draw interest to Tomlinson.

“I’ve really worked on my athleticism,” Tomlinson said. “I’ve gotten faster and have more range at shortstop. I’ve always been a good contact hitter but now I’ve added power while I continue to hit for average and use all the field.”

The chance to continue getting better as a player at the Big 10 school brings an enormous amount of excitement to the 16-year-old.

“Everybody dreams about MLB but growing up you realize there are steps before that,” Tomlinson explained. “In sixth or seventh grade I started thinking I wanted to play college baseball at the highest level.”

The recruiting process on that journey was enjoyable according to the sixth ranked player in the state’s 2024 class to commit to play for the Wolverines.

“It’s something everybody wants to experience,” Tomlinson said. “My main focus was to build connections with the coaching staff and from there figure out where I see me fitting in best.”

There was help along the way in making that college decision.

“My family, my mom and dad, have been great supporting me, as well as the coaches at Northern.” Tomlinson related. “They strived to make me a better player and person. My teammates have also helped, pushing me to be better. They’ve all been big pieces to my success.”

Business is the planned major for Tomlinson, who carries a 3.98 GPA and lives an hour and 45 minutes from his future college home.

“It was a pretty awesome feeling, something I’ve worked toward for awhile,” Tomlinson said about making a commitment. “What a great feeling to finally realize Michigan is the best fit for me and where I want to go to fill out my dream.

“I’m looking forward to developing into a better player and person at a great academic school. Playing baseball at the top level is something I’m extremely excited to do.”