By Will Vandervort / photo courtesy ClemsonTigers.com.
For 59 games this year Clemson’s Chris Okey squat down, caught the ball, popped back up again, threw it to the pitcher and then started it all over again.
Okey, who took over as the Tigers’ starting catcher the last half of the 2013 season, has caught just about every inning this year. You might think because of the wear and tear that puts on a catcher’s knees Okey is ready for a day off or two or maybe three. But that’s not the case.
Okey will make his 60th start behind the plate when the Tigers open up the Fullerton Regional against Arizona State at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
“Every time I think about that I step back onto the field again and my adrenaline pops right back up,” he said. “I feel like a little kid again. I have fun with it. I enjoy it. I love being out there with the guys and running around with them. It has been a blast.”
With the exception of a normal slump or two, it really has not hurt the 5-foot-11, 195-pound sophomore at the plate either. He has raised his batting average from .248 last season to .320 this year. He leads the team in home runs with 12 and has 55 RBIs, which ranks second on the squad.
At times you have to wonder what Okey’s numbers might have been this year if he was able to take a day or two off.
“It’s baseball. I was not hitting the ball very well early in the season. I kept saying I’m playing the game, I’m playing baseball. It’s a game where it is tough to stay on a hot streak for a long time,” Okey said. “You have to bring it every day. You have to keep having fun and hopefully the cards will fall in your favor.”
Okey will have to wait for the summer to end before he finally gets a break. He has accepted an invitation from USA Baseball to play for the 2015 Collegiate National Team this summer.
“I’m looking forward to having some fun with that,” Okey said.
But first, he is looking to have some fun in the Fullerton Regional as he and the rest of the Tigers try to find a way to get out of regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. The Tigers will be making their first trip to Cal State Fullerton, and it’s the farthest west a Clemson team has played since 1993.
Cal State Fullerton is the No. 1 seed in the regional, while Arizona State is No. 2 and Pepperdine is No. 4.
“It is refreshing to get to play new teams. We never get to play an Arizona State until now, which is what makes this time of the year awesome,” Okey said. “Four teams play against each other so it is a fun time and I can wait to get it going.”
Clemson will leave for California on Wednesday morning and will practice at Goodwin Field at 1 p.m. pacific time on Thursday.