Tucker's blast ties Wilkerson's school RBI record and triggers a difficult souvenir search
Thursday, February 23, 2012 | Baseball, Cross Country, Scott Carter
Preston Tucker welcomed UCF reliever Garrett Nuss to the game in the fifth inning Wednesday night the way he did his teammates all of preseason practice.
“We couldn't get him out for three weeks,'' Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said following No. 1-ranked Florida's 8-0 win over the Knights.
Tucker continued his torrid hitting on Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run. He drilled Nuss' first pitch of the game over the right-field wall on a rope.
“I hit it about as well as I could,'' Tucker said.
The home run wasn't just another hit for the senior outfielder from Tampa. It gave Tucker 214 career RBIs, tying Brad Wilkerson's school record set from 1996-98.
With rain falling from the dark clouds over McKethan Stadium, a member of the Gators' equipment staff searched for the ball to give Tucker. It was dark and the area behind the right-field wall has a lot of bushes and sawgrass plants, making the treasure hunt more difficult.
As the young man continued to hunt for the ball, Tucker returned to his spot in right field for the top of the sixth. Tucker proved he can also play defense the next inning, making a diving catch on the wet outfield grass in the seventh.
“At first I didn't think I was going to get to that ball,'' Tucker said. “It hung up there just enough that I realized I could get to it. I don't get a whole lot of diving plays out there.”
While the catch was worthy of a highlight show, hitting is what Tucker does best.
In the season's first five games, Tucker is hitting .450 with three homers, two doubles and six RBIs.
“He's got presence and he's got a belief he can hit,'' O'Sullivan said. “That's half the battle in this game. He believes right-handed, left-handed … he hates to give away at-bats. Even when the game is in hand, he's trying to have a good at-bat.
That showed when Tucker stepped to the plate for his final at-bat with runners at second and third, a perfect chance to surpass Wilkerson and become the school's greatest run producer in history.
Instead, he hit a sharp grounder to first for an out, coming up empty with runners in scoring position.
“That's something I can improve on,'' he said afterward.
Back to that hunt for his home run ball. Tucker didn't know whether the equipment guy found it or not. He said his room is full of baseballs he has collected over the years although he is not sure what they all commemorate.
Tucker's next chance to break Wilkerson's record is Friday night at home against William & Mary. Until then, he'll keep taking swings in the batting cage to stay hot and perhaps walk around behind that right-field wall to see if he can add another souvenir ball to his collection.
“I don't know where it went. Maybe I'll go look for it later.”
