Just a couple months before this baseball season began, Newman senior Henry Haber wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to throw a baseball again.
On Saturday at Avenger Field, not only did he pitch, but he enjoyed a Senior Day he likely will never forget.
After throwing just eight innings all season long, Haber tossed five shutout innings with some spectacular defense behind him, and the Greenies finished off their last regular-season home game with a 9-1 victory over HL Bourgeois.
With the victory, there’s a great chance the Greenies (21-6) have locked up the No. 2 seed in the Division III Select playoffs, which would mean they would remain home throughout the playoffs until a potential state championship series.
Newman finishes the regular season at Mandeville on Monday, but even if they were to lose, it likely wouldn’t drop them below second.
Haber wasn’t thinking much about the postseason early on during Saturday’s start, but rather the opportunity Coach Pat Adams had given him. When asked if he wanted to start against the Braves or come in relief, it was an easy choice.
It was important for him to be out there at first pitch and see how long he could go. While warming up, he thought a lot about pitching in showcases this past fall and losing feeling in his hand while trying out for Sewanee.
He spent the next four months trying to regain basic motor skills in his right hand, and he couldn’t even button a shirt. Doctors told him he would never again play baseball, and desperate, his family took him to St. Louis to get a new treatment that worked well, but left him sick almost each and every day until the end of 2025.
“It means the world to do something that I was told I cannot do and grateful that our team could pull off such a great win,” Haber said.
In late December, he was able to begin throwing again with numbness in his hand, and he said Saturday he still has some numbness when he throws.
Obviously, he was a little extra juiced up in the first, as he threw his low-80s fastball to the screen on multiple occasions before finally settling down after a double play ended the inning.
Later, more defensive gems followed, including a 2-6-2 caught stealing (Charles Wilson to Collier Villere back to Wilson) and a 9-2 (Malcolm Schairer to Wilson) putout to end the second inning. There also were diving catches in the outfield by George Loop and Tanner Robert.
And now comes the postseason the Greenies have been waiting for with a real chance to make some noise. After Monday, they will be off for about 10 days before a second-round series at Avenger Field against likely the winner of the 15-18 game.
“We’re not going to let up. We’re going to make sure we stay fresh, especially with our pitchers,” Haber said. “We’re going to come at it as hard as we can and not let our feet off the gas. … I told myself to stack zeroes on zeroes and do my best, and rely on the awesome defense.
“Those diving catches and the infield – they were just fantastic. It gives me confidence to throw any pitches and know my defense has my back.”
LINESCORE
HL Bourgeois – 000 001 0 – 1 | 4 | 5
Newman – 120 150 X – 9 | 7 | 0
TOP HITTERS
HL Bourgeois (7-23): Kobly Estay, 2-2; Will Brown, 1-3, 2B, RBI.
Newman (21-6): Jack Falgoust, 2-3, 3B, BB, 3RBIs; Charles Wilson, 1-3, BB, 2RBIs; Christian Sauska, 2-4, RBI; George Loop, 1-3, 2R, BB, RBI, SB; Malcolm Schairer, 1-3, 2R, RBI, 2 SB.
DECIDING PITCHERS
WIN: Henry Haber, 5IP, 0R, 3H, 1BB, 2K.
LOSS: Logan Rogers, 4+IP, 5R, 5ER, 4H, 5BB, 3K.
WP: None. IBB: None. Pitches-strikes: Haber 58-34; George Loop 24-16; Rogers 103-53; Quinn Thibodeaux 17-7; Niko Fandino 9-3; Logan Renfro 20-13. Weather at first pitch: 82, partly cloudy. Time of game: 2:09.