IU’s ‘getting hit’ king

Some men are born to greatness; others have it hurled toward them at 92 miles per hour. Such is the case with Chris Hervey, left fielder on the IU baseball team. \nNo, Hervey isn’t chasing some legendary home-run record, nor is he the next Mickey Mantle. But he is on pace to do something no other IU player has ever done – get hit by more than 16 pitches in a single season. \nIt wasn’t something Hervey ever set out to do. \n“There was a couple weeks where I got hit by, like, eight or nine pitches,” Hervey said. He said he asked what the team record was during that spell, and when he heard how close he was, he said “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”\nHervey has been hit by 15 pitches this year, just one off the IU record of 16 in one season, set by Dan Haegele in 1999. \nHervey credits a change in his batting stance for his success at the plate – and not just in getting hit by pitches. He said he moved up on the plate after last season, and he said he thinks it’s made it tougher for opposing pitchers to throw inside without hitting him.\n“I’m pretty much as close as you can get without getting in trouble,” Hervey said. “They’re either gonna hit me, or they’re going to miss right over the plate, giving me lots of good pitches to hit.”\nHervey said he thinks the chase for the record may not be incredibly historic, but it shows the kind of mentality he and the Hoosiers take toward every at-bat. \n“I think it kind of makes a statement to the kind of player that I am and the kind of team that we are,” Hervey said. “I’m just willing to sit in there and wear a 92-mile-an-hour fastball off my back or my shoulder, doesn’t matter. Whatever it takes to get on base and get the job done.”\nHervey isn’t alone in his pursuit of history. Like Sammy Sosa to Mark McGwire, Hervey is chasing the record with sophomore transfer Michael Earley hot on his tail. \nEarley, who’s been hit 12 times this season, knows where his focus is, and it’s not on the record. \n“It’s definitely more important to beat Chris,” Earley said with a laugh. \nEarley said he’s been getting hit by pitches his whole career – also a result of his stance and mentality. He said he thinks he’s been more consistent than Hervey in getting hit, something that might give him an advantage down the stretch of the regular season.\n“His hit-by-pitches are kind of a flash in a pan,” Earley said. “Mine come more consistently.”\nWhether Hervey – or Earley – breaks the record, IU coach Tracy Smith said he likes the kind of mentality both players display in the batter’s box. \n“I love to see it,” Smith said. “(Hitting) Coach (Tyler) Best preaches all the time about not giving up the inside corner.”\nSmith said the team has an award for that type of tough play, something called a “duke.” Named after John Wayne – whom Smith termed “a baaaad man” – a duke is given each game to the player who shows the most toughness in that game. \n“Hervey’s got a bunch of dukes,” Smith said, laughing. “The guys are having fun with it. I know he is.”\nSo what happens if the record ever does fall? Hervey’s got a plan: “I’ll try and get the ball taken out of play, write something on it. Keep it for the kids and the grandkids to see.”