Phil McCormick may not be the fastest, strongest, or flashiest player on the field at any given point. He is, however, the most consistent.

The senior reliever from Wildwood, Mo., leads the Tigers as well as the Big 12 in appearances, a year after breaking the Missouri school record for appearances in a season with 36. He’s thrown the most innings of any Tiger reliever with 13.1, is holding opponents to a team-best .239 average, and is also the team leader with 14 strikeouts. He’s on pace to eclipse his own appearances record again in 2011, and is well on his way to becoming one of the most prolific and efficient relievers in school history.

With all that said, success didn’t always come easy to McCormick. The lefty redshirted in 2007, made four appearances the next season, and struggled in the early part of the 2008 campaign. It was this turmoil that led him to adopt the “submarine” delivery that he has since made his own.

“I started during my redshirt sophomore year,”,” McCormick said. “It’s kind of a long story, but basically, I was getting shelled. I was getting hammered pretty bad, and it was upsetting. I just asked what I’d have to do to get on the mound, and the coaches suggested throwing submarine. I started throwing for a week like that, and a week later I threw in a game and a week after that I was throwing against Texas. It’s kind of been my thing ever since.”

The submarine style allows McCormick to present batters with unique arm angles, making it difficult to follow the pitch and take a decent cut. He has been especially lethal against lefties, as his pitch tends to run away from hitters, making it nearly impossible to make solid contact. This effectiveness and consistency has led his teammates to have supreme confidence in his skill set on the mound.

“When Phil comes in we know what he’s going to do,” sophomore catcher Ben Turner said. “He’s going to throw strikes; he’s going to get us ground balls; he’s going to get us out of jams because he’s done it for two or three years.”

And to go along with his durability and unique delivery, McCormick has the poise and tenacity necessary in order to succeed on the mound in the Big 12.

“Phil is very confident and aggressive. He knows how to get it done, and in addition his stuff is better now than it’s ever been,” coach Tim Jamieson said.

If the Tigers are going to have success in 2011, Phil McCormick is going to be a big reason why. He is more versatile than a typical situational lefty; he can be plugged in to get a particular left-handed hitter out, last multiple innings when the bullpen is worn down, or come in to nail down a save. One thing is for sure—McCormick is ready to do whatever necessary to help his team win.

“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in the rest of our bullpen, and I know (Jamieson) does too, but if he wants to keep throwing me out there he can keep throwing me out there, and I’ll do my job ‘til my arm falls off,” McCormick said.