Verge: From Tiger to Texas Tech, Hanger excited to start college career

Mississauga Tigers infielder Tommy Hanger (Toronto, Ont.), shown batting here, will start his collegiate career at Texas Tech this year. Photo supplied.

January 10, 2025

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

His hands are covered in blisters.

But that doesn’t stop Tommy Hanger.

How dedicated is the then 13-year-old?

Dedicated enough to play through the pain. He tapes his hands, raw and red, and continues through the practices with the Trosky Bull Academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

There’s more hitting to be done.

That work ethic has helped push the now 18-year-old Mississauga Tigers speedy shortstop to the next level. The blister filled memories in the D.R. may be years behind him but are paying off visibly in the skills he now shows at the plate. His ability to consistently get on base makes him a threat to the opposition in his leadoff role with the Tigers, and will make him an asset when he reports to his next assignment with Texas Tech University Red Raiders.

“He gets on a lot, he can run . . . he has a little bit of pop, some gap to gap power,” said Sean Travers, founder of the Mississauga Tigers High Performance Program. “He can even hit the ball out of the park every now and then, he can kind of do it all at the plate, he can bunt, he can draw walks, he's very versatile.”

His defence also sets him apart, with quick hands and feet, Hanger really takes pride in his craft at short, Travers said.

He’s set to take the field this summer for Texas Tech, a D1 school. He joins the likes of Josh and Myles Naylor (who both ended up signing as first rounders) and east coasters Brandon Petite (Glace Bay, N.B.) and Jay Johnson (Sussex Corner, N.B.). Petite and Johnson both pitched at Tech.

University of Central Florida, Oklahoma State and Washington State were all interested in the Canadian from Toronto, who played for the Junior National Team going all the way to Panama last year, but Texas was always top of his list.

“Tech was a dream school of mine since I was young, I always knew that was the spot for me,” Hanger said.

It’s a journey that might not have happened if it weren’t for his size. Like a lot of Canadian kids, his dream was to play in the NHL, Hanger said. But the 5-foot-10, 170-pound athlete was always a bit on the smaller side growing up, so he focused more on baseball.

Things really started to get going baseball wise for him when he was just 11-years-old. He helped his team, the High Park 12’s, go all the way to the 2018 Canadian championships in Mirabel, Que.

“He was just a puny little thing back then, [but] he was a spunky little guy for sure, he had a lot of energy and [he was] very competitive,” his dad, Phillip Hanger said.

Infielder Tommy Hanger (Toronto, Ont.) credits the Mississauga Tigers for helping him find his strengths as a player. Photo supplied.

That drive eventually led him to a career changing role in 2022, suiting up in white and orange for the Mississauga Tigers. It’s there that he really discovered where he fit on the baseball diamond, and honed in on what he excelled at.

He entered the program thinking he was more of a power hitter, and that he could do stuff he really couldn’t, Hanger said. He’s since learned where he fits - that he can play a little bit more small ball, and use his speed to help get his team on the board early.

“They transitioned me from being a guy who was lost, having no role, to a guy sliding into that one spot and getting on base and trying to get to second so we can score a run,” he said.

It was at a tournament in Texas with the Tigers, that he was spotted by Texas Tech, leading to him committing to the school in late 2023.

He already has his goals set out for when he makes the move down south later this year. He’s hoping to grow as a player, soak up what they teach him, and eventually get drafted, Hanger said. He won’t have any serious adjustment to make heading to the the Lone Star State. He is already a fan of classical music _ George Strait.

“I'm just trying to develop anything they can teach me, trying to be a better player and just getting ready for whenever I'm eligible for the MLB draft,” he said.

“I’m just super excited and super stoked to just get at it and just start studying, start playing down there.”