On Tuesday afternoon, the Georgetown baseball team found themselves trailing 3-0 in the eighth inning against a woeful UMBC squad that had won just four games this season. In past years, the Hoyas, never a Big East powerhouse, may not have had the resolve to fight back. But not this season.
In what seems to be a trend, the Hoyas recovered in a comeback win, with freshman pinch-hitter Corbin Blakey knocking in the winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
“Overall, on the year, I don’t know how many times we’ve done it,” head coach Pete Wilk said of his team’s comeback. “It’s actually pretty damn amazing how we just keep coming back in the late innings. I think guys are thriving on it. They don’t feel the pressure as much as they’re used to.”
Photo courtesy of Sports Information
It was the third walk-off win of the season for the Hoyas. Those late-inning heroics are a big reason why Georgetown is currently 16-12, the first time any player on the current roster has experienced being above .500 this late in the season. And while Georgetown may have had a little luck in close games, their record is well-deserved.
“Talent doesn’t hurt either. We’re a more talented group than we’ve been here,” Wilk said. “It’s a combination between the talent, the attitude, and the leadership.”
That leadership begins with the Hoyas’ senior class, who endured a lot of losing in three seasons on the Hilltop. Now they are setting an example for their younger teammates in how to avoid the same fate.
Perhaps the most vocal leader is also the most accomplished player on the field. Senior centerfielder Tommy Lee is one of two Hoya regulars hitting above .400, and sets the tone for the Hoyas from the leadoff spot.
“If you look at his stats, as he goes we go,” Wilk said.
Earlier in the season the Hoyas were in danger, because Lee couldn’t go, missing a series of games with severely bruised ribs. But now Lee is back patrolling the outfield, shoring up the defense, the one area Wilk thinks Georgetown needs to improve most to achieve its goal of making the Big East playoffs.
“He’s an outstanding defensive player,” Wilk said. “I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. He’s one of the finest centerfields I’ve ever had in 20-whatever years of coaching.”
Of course, it’s not just the veterans who are contributing to Georgetown’s success. Newcomers like Blakey are having just as big an impact.
“That’s his second walk-off RBI,” Wilk said of Blakey. “I think it says a lot about the kid. You know we’ve had some freshmen come in and do a good job. We kind of expect them to.”
Wilk is keeping his expectations realistic for the season. No one expects the Hoyas to suddenly jump to the top of the league, and a three game sweep by Rutgers earlier in the season bears that out.
But there’s no reason why Georgetown can’t make that leap into the playoffs. The team can be dominant, as they were in a 13-1 drubbing of Norfolk State Wednesday night. And they can win important games, like last weekend, when the Hoyas scored their first ever series win over Notre Dame.
“That was a milestone that continues hopefully to point us in the right direction and we keep climbing higher and higher,” Wilk said. “That was a big one, taking a series from those guys.”
Georgetown won the series 2-1, and of course, they needed a walk-off RBI to reach the milestone.
The Hoyas take the field again this Friday at 7 p.m. against USF in Tampa.
