With the MLB lockout still underway, fans have been left to watch NCAA baseball to finally enjoy some live action. And college baseball seems to be stepping up and how. One of the recent games saw a whopping 430 feet hit by a freshman. And it only gets more impressive. The hit tied the game at the bottom of the 8th inning and saw the true caliber of the #22 player bought to the fore.
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The Florida State Seminoles took on Samford in the final game of the series when the homer that rang through the game was heard, whereby, freshman leveled the game while the Seminoles were down 4-3 to make it 4 apiece for the two teams.
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The freshman walked out to face the closer from Samford before delivering the mammoth hit past the boundary wall to make it an event for the Seminoles.
Homer Galore
The Seminoles were eventually downed by Samford 7-4 in an extra-innings encounter, but the story of the game undoubtedly came up in the 8th. With freshman James Tibbs walking out for his at-bat, the game hung in the balance. The Seminoles, down by a single run, Tibbs had to deliver; and deliver he did.
Step back and admire, because we have liftoff.
James Tibbs with a 430-foot moonblast to tie it in the eighth for Florida State.
🎥 @FSUBaseballpic.twitter.com/faxtdPqnuN
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) February 27, 2022
Tibbs took the home plate with 4 outs left in the game and the Seminoles trailing by 1. Facing closer Carson Hobbs, who had already registered 2 outs in the innings, the pressure was squarely on Tibbs. And with a swing of his bat, he dispelled it all.
Tibbs swung mightily on a 3-2 fastball from the closer. Only registering his 2nd home run of the season, the lefty hitter deposited the pitch with some power.
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The game-tying home run traveled 430 ft to cross the boundary fence in the right field; leaving the hitter’s bat traveling for 107 miles per hour.
The game, however, ended in a loss for Florida State despite the game-tying effort from Tibbs.
An extra innings encounter saw Samford take home the boasting rights in a 7-4 victory for the Bulldogs while the Seminoles will hope to regroup and run it back. They match up next against Mercer on Tuesday where they will begin a series against the Bears. And with Tibbs in solid hitting form, some work will be expected from the hitter too in the match-up.
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We sure hope college baseball continues to entertain while the Majors catch up with live-action; but until then, the NCAA continues to deliver! What team are you backing to go all the way this year into the college championship?