JETHAWKS NOTEBOOK: HENRIE STEPS UP TO MINORS CLEMSON STAR WITH 'HAWKS.

Byline: Lauren Gustus Staff Writer

LANCASTER - The JetHawks' latest addition was overworked before he even stepped onto the field at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

Matt Henrie, a 6-foot-3, right-handed pitcher who arrived late last week, was the Arizona Diamondbacks' seventh-round pick in the 2002 draft. Henrie went to Clemson, where he threw more than 110 innings as the Tigers' No. 2 pitcher.

Henrie redshirted his sophomore year after a slow start as a freshman but was commanding for the Tigers his junior and senior seasons. He allowed just six home runs while at Clemson and this year led the Tigers to the College World Series.

When Henrie arrived in Lancaster just after the College World Series, manager Bill Plummer had to ease Henrie into the rotation. As of Tuesday, Henrie had pitched just 1 1/3 innings of relief for the JetHawks, surrendering one run on a solo homer.

``I felt good out there. There was no fatigue,'' Henrie said after Friday's appearance. ``I was relaxed.''

Although Henrie, 22, has yet to prove himself, manager Bill Plummer thinks he is a welcome addition to a bullpen depleted by roster changes.

``Hopefully, Henrie pitches well and we can develop him,'' Plummer said. ``We'll see how it goes. I thought he pitched real well his first time out, he just got tagged once.''

Henrie, a native of Jupiter, Fla., was Clemson's most consistent starter in 2002 with a 12-4 record, a 3.04 ERA and 80 strikeouts.

During his college career, he got twice as many outs on ground balls as on fly balls, a good sign considering the high winds at The Hangar.

When pitchers move on from college to the minors, they face a small mountain of changes that require adjustments if the transition is to be a success. A simple adjustment might be getting used to the sound of the ball making contact with a wooden bat instead of a metal bat. Or the modification can be more substantial.

Henrie thinks he needs to work on being ahead in the pitch count, so he instead of the hitter can control the at-bat.

``I need to focus on getting ahead of the hitters,'' he said. ``Here they are a lot better, they are a lot faster. There's a little bit of difference between here and college. A college team might have one of two good hitters, but here everyone is the best.''

Henrie also says he wants to continue to pitch aggressively and thinks he can help the JetHawks reach their second-half goal: a record of .500 or better.

``I should get my time in the bullpen and I think I can help this team win,'' Henrie said.

His strongest pitch is his two-seam fastball and Henrie said he'll work with pitching coach Royal Clayton to strengthen his changeup.

Although Henrie hasn't seen much of Lancaster, he's going to put out the effort on the field as well as off to make the most of his time here.

``It's a little bit different, a different atmosphere (than South Carolina),'' Henrie said. ``It seems like a nice town and I should have a good time.''