Gators freshman JJ Schwarz amazed like everyone else at his 4-homer game
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When Gators freshman JJ Schwarz hit his second home run Tuesday night, he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders toward third-base coach Craig Bell as he headed for home. (Watch video)
A highly touted recruit out of Palm Beach Gardens High, Schwarz was a 15th-round selection by Milwaukee in last summer's MLB amateur draft. However, he had never hit two home runs in a game.
“After my second one, I was really excited,'' he told reporters afterward.
After his third homer of the game, his mood turned to amazement.
“I was like, 'holy crap, what is going on?' “
And after his fourth home run?
Well, when Schwarz returned to the dugout, he got the silent treatment from his teammates.
To celebrate becoming the first player in school history to hit four home runs in a game -- and only second in SEC history -- Schwarz high-fived the air until his teammates finally turned off the gag. Kentucky's Bill Sandry is the only other player in SEC history (1982 vs. Eastern Kentucky) to hit four home runs in a game.
“I don't really think I was going to go up there trying to hit my third or fourth home run,'' Schwarz said. “This is by far the best night I ever had.”
Schwarz wasn't finished. He had one more at-bat.
In his final trip to the plate in the eighth inning, Schwarz drove a pitch to right-center for a two-run double, finishing the night 5-for-6 with 10 RBIs and a school-record 18 total bases.
“That was heartbreaking,'' he quipped on the SEC Network when asked if he was disappointed he didn't homer for a fifth time in the game.
Just think how Stetson's pitchers must feel.
Schwarz's powerful display -- he is now hitting .304 with nine home runs and a team-leading 40 RBIs on the season -- is now one of the most memorable in UF baseball history.
