CBD Journal with Campbell’s Drew Butler (May 6th)

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College baseball fans,

I hope you have all thoroughly enjoyed this college baseball season as much as I have. It sure takes a toll on the body, but man is it fun. From late inning heroics to tough losses, we have experienced it all this year at Campbell. I wanted to take this time to let you, the reader, get a look into one of the things that we, college baseball players, might go through during the marathon of a season.

This is the blog of the walk-off. We’ve all seen them on ESPN and MLB Network as we watch a superstar hit a homerun in the bottom of the ninth to give his team the victory. It’s electrifying. Nothing in sports will raise the hairs on your arms quite like a walk-off homerun. It could be argued that even more exciting than that is the walk-off hit with a close play at home plate. Seeing the baserunner rounding each bag as he starts at first and ends up coming all the way around to score on a walk-off hit in the gap is pretty awesome. This was what happened at Jim Perry Stadium in Buies Creek a few weeks ago.

This is a pretty cool memory, so I felt like sharing it would bring some excitement to your day. Now, this was in a game against a conference rival in Liberty University. We treat every game with the same mindset – play the game, not the opponent. As long as we trust in our plan and play our game, we always feel like we have a chance to come out with a win, no matter the inning. This was the case on this Saturday afternoon. After eight and a half innings had passed, we found ourselves tied up at one heading into the bottom of the ninth. We knew that this was our chance to make some magic happen.

We got a runner on first in the form of Matt Parrish, and freshman Zach Minnick was due up next. I was on deck at this point, hoping for a win in any shape or form, yet wanting to get my shot at the plate. Zach had other plans though as he sent a double in the right center gap to score Parrish for the walk-off win. This was that exciting play that could be argued as even better than the walk-off homer. Parrish scored from first giving it all he could as he beat the throw coming in from the cut off guy in right field.

Here’s the even better part: right after Parrish slid in to secure the win, I see a sea of orange come sprinting from the dugout after I attempt to jump on Parrish at home plate. This was the celebration and oh was it sweet. Jumping up and down and yelling with your buddies for whoever knows how long is one of the best feelings one can have on a ballfield. During that celebration you’re getting splashed in the face with water, getting stepped on, getting yelled at right in your ear, and getting your jersey pulled, but it is all worth it. After it cools down there are high fives, hugs, and many hoarse throats. There is nothing like it. We didn’t win a championship or upset the number one team in the country, but a win like this is as good as they come. All wins are great; we’ll even take the ugly ones. We will definitely take this one, though.

After we were done, Minnick got interviewed to talk about his big hit in the ninth. A few other teammates in Ben Calvano, Adam Wyse, and I planned a sneak attack to further celebrate his walk-off by dumping cups of water on him during his camera time. Let’s just say we got him good and even Parrish added a little extra after we got ahold of him. Little things like this are what make baseball so fun and so loved.

This was one of the most fun games I had ever been a part of, and I am so glad it was with this group of teammates. A walk-off win is the experience of a lifetime and one of the many great things that can happen along the way as the spring season moves too fast, as always. It is what truly makes a team in how they handle their lows, though. A team must have the will to always keep fighting no matter the score, inning, or opponent. This is what makes a team. This is what will make our team in the last few weeks. Enjoy the last bit of this college season, take it all in, and as always – Roll Humps!

Drew Butler