With three outs to go, Michael White finally realized he was on the precipice of achieving the greatest feat of his collegiate pitching career.

The weight of being so close to completing a no-hitter didn't rattle the fifth-year senior pitcher for Stonehill College. He had gone up against tougher situations in his life, both on and off the diamond.

With his impeccable poise, the Stamford, Connecticut, native tossed a seven-inning no-hitter and struck out a season-high seven batters in a 1-0 road win over Pace University on April 17. White's no-hitter was the first for the Skyhawks since Matt Giusti's in 2009.

"It was pretty unbelievable," White said. "It was a pretty surreal moment and something I'll probably remember for the rest of my life."

White was efficient, facing one batter over the minimum and needing only 69 pitches to keep Pace hitless. His only blemishes came early on when he didn't have a good feel for his breaking ball. He hit a batter in the second inning and issued a walk a frame later, but those were the only two Setters to reach base. 

The 6-foot, 210-pound right-hander relied heavily on his fastball, which topped off at 90 mph, and had supreme control over it to keep Pace's lineup at bay.

"He pounded the strike zone," said Stonehill coach Pat Boen. "He really didn't have great command of his off-speed stuff. ... After the first inning he came in and he was like, 'I can't control it. I can't command my breaking ball.' But his fastball command was unbelievable. So even if there was a 1-0, 2-1 fastball count, he was still able to locate it on the outside half or back a guy off the plate and work the inside corner."

As White's chance for a no-hitter gained steam in the later innings, his teammates tried to not let on about what was happening and certainly didn't talk about it with White while he was in the dugout between innings.

But White went out for the last half of the seventh fully aware of the zero under Pace's hit column on the scoreboard in right field. His demeanor didn't change. He continued to to attack the strike zone and get in front of hitters.

"I really didn't have too many nerves," White said. "If I gave up the no-hitter, it wasn't going to be that big of a deal. It still was a good game. I went out there and treated it like any other inning. I really didn't think about it too much."

White retired 13 straight to cap his no-hitter, ending with strikeouts of Pace's 2-3-4 batters. He fanned Miles Kelly for the final out, and walked around the mound before his teammates mobbed him in celebration.

"I kind of blacked out in the moment," White said. "I really didn't have too big of a reaction. I kind of walked off like nothing happened and then I saw all my teammates come out and dog-pile me."

Getting to this point didn't seem possible last year, when White couldn't throw without what Boen described as "throbbing pain" in his arm. White pitched only a third of an inning last spring before the season was canceled. In early June, had an ulnar collateral repair procedure in his elbow instead of Tommy John surgery.

That decision cut what would have been at least a year of recovery time to five months. It wasn't until January that White began throwing, but he was determined to push through, accelerating his timeline to get back on the mound. 

"I really shouldn't even be where I'm at right now throwing in live games. I should really still be rehabbing," White said. "But the way I looked at it is, hey, I'm not going to miss another year. Might as well throw through it. If I get hurt, I get hurt. But I'm going to go down and give it my all. Definitely made it worth it. I think it was a great moment for me and my teammates."

Seeing White persevere through a substantial injury and personal tragedy –  he lost his father, Robert, in December 2018 – made his no-hitter that much more momentous, Boen said.

"All the stars aligned," Boen said. "It was just special. Not only just for a no-hitter, but just for Mike and his whole experience. It really made coming back for his fifth year worthwhile. It was one of my greatest days on a baseball field watching him have a special day."

White's dad, whom his family affectionately called Rusty, died after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the age of 75. Baseball was a common thread between father and son, and not having him there to cheer him on at games was difficult for White.

The loss of his father weighed so heavily on White that he took time away from baseball that summer after his father's death.

"It definitely had a big impact on me because my dad was huge with baseball," White said. "It was one of the things we connected with and tied us together. It affected me. I played summer ball in New Bedford in the NECBL in June of that year and I was pitching really well there and I had to leave a little bit early because mentally I wasn't doing well with living on my own and having my dad pass five to six months prior."

The memory of his father added to the significance of White's no-hitter. With Pace not far from the Whites' home, it was one of the last places Rusty saw his son pitch and made White's no-hitter there more meaningful. 

"It's pretty special to do it at that field," White said.

White's no-hitter is the highlight of not only his season, but Stonehill's as well.

It not only gave the Skyhawks a key conference win, it also validated the efforts by all involved in making sure this season took place.

"That game really just justified why we're doing this," Boen said. "We're trying so hard to get this season in for moments like that, that Mike and his teammates will have for the rest of their life."

Original article: https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/sports/college/baseball/2021/04/22/michael-white-tosses-stonehills-first-no-hitter-over-decade/7333748002/