Someone please tell Fairy Godmother that Tyler Cox wears a size 12 glass cleat. The senior infielder's walk-off grand slam against Penn State kept the Hoosiers' Cinderella story in the Big Ten Tournament going.
After beating Illinois 14-7 and then Penn State 11-8 today, IU will take on rival Purdue tomorrow afternoon.
The Hoosiers led 7-4 going into the 9th needing only three outs to advance to the final day of the tourney.
IU starter Chris McCombs and reliever Chris squires stumbled and surrendered three runs, but still were one routine ground out away from keeping the game tied at least.
But when that routine ground ball bounced of off Cox's glove, Indiana "went from being up three runs in the last inning, just needing three outs, to being down one really quick. I think that kind of took our breath away and took the wind out of our sails," Josh Phegley said.
Running back from the dug out, no one was more down than Cox.
"I kind of just wanted to somebody to kill me there," he said. "I was about the lowest I could get. I just let them go up and at that time I though that was the game."
Once in the dugout, left fielder Chris Hervey reassured his teammate that everything was OK.
"He said 'don't worry about it Cox, you're going to get a chance to win the game when we come up to hit,'" Cox said.
Hervey was right, as three singles later, Cox had the bases juiced and redemption on the mind.
"I've had multiple people call me already asking what pitch it was, and I can't tell you." Cox said. "I just swung at it and I can't tell you what pitch it was, where it was in the strike zone, if it was a strike. It was just one of those things that went by so fast and the adrenaline was pumping so hard that I can barely remember it."
The grand slam was Cox's first of his entire career.
But with the celebration ended, IU coach Tracy Smith was already geared for the game.
On Smith's mind was his pitching, which let up 15 runs Friday.
Smith said he didn't know who is going relieve his depleted staff, and "hopefully deliver the performance of a lifetime," but didn't rule out the possibility of that person being a position player.
He said both Cox and infielder David Trager could and might pitch if needed.
Whoever IU throws out tomorrow, Purdue should be scared. The Hoosiers have a .750 record against the Boilermakers and with neither teams' Ace set to go (O'Gara is likely for IU) the contest could very well come down to each teams' bats -- something Smith, Phegley and Cox all agreed they would be fine with.
This incredible journey will continue and be televised on the Big Ten Network with first pitch scheduled for 3:35 p.m. tomorrow.
