Vanderbilt Coach Tim Corbin referred to it as a twitch.
The certain game twitch that exists within great players that allow them to make the big plays in the crucial moments.
Dansby Swanson possessed that twitch Saturday night.
The junior shortstop came up with one out and a runner on second base in the top of the ninth. The NCAA Regional matchup between IU and Vanderbilt was tied 4-4. Expecting to be walked, Swanson was planning on remaining patient until he saw the pitch he wanted: a breaking ball.
So when IU senior Luke Harrison left a breaking ball up in the zone, Swanson attacked the first pitch and sent it in to the left field stands to put his Commodores up 6-4 and eventually win the game.
“There’s a twitch that exists with certain athletes that you don’t see until he needs it the most,” Corbin said.
Swanson is expected by ESPN and Baseball America to be the first overall pick in the MLB Draft next month. He was already the focus of Saturday’s game before his big moment. Fans became a little more excited, a little more rowdy whenever he came to the plate.
Vanderbilt was in position to win after his home run, but moments later he made a play to seal it.
IU sophomore Austin Cangelosi led off the bottom of the ninth with a ground ball in the gap between third base and shortstop. Swanson took a line on it and snagged it backhanded near the outfield grass.
Swanson planted his foot and leaped up in the air, throwing the ball to first base while twisting his body. The ball didn’t even bounce as it barely beat Cangelosi to first base.
“You just don’t see that play very often,” IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. “And Austin is a pretty good runner too, so it’s not like you got a slow guy running down the line. But, it is what it is.”
The crowd began chanting Swanson’s name as IU’s hopes began to reach a low point. The next play, Swanson had another ground ball hit to him and he made the routine play to get the second out. The crowd chanted his name again.
So when Vanderbilt finished off the victory by striking out IU junior Brian Wilhite, all the focus was on Swanson.
“Its one of those things where you leave the park going, ‘I can’t believe I saw that,’” Corbin said.
After the game, Swanson took to Twitter to say, “That one was for you Dai-Jon,” honoring Dai-Jon Parker, a former Vanderbilt basketball player who died this week at 22-years old.
Swanson is hitting .347 this season with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. He was named second team All-SEC this season, and Corbin said that frustrated Swanson because he is a competitor. Competitors do not like second place at anything, he said.
Corbin mentioned how the great defensive play Swanson made was not a surprise, as he worked on the play in practice.
Now Vanderbilt advances to the NCAA Regional final to take on the winner of Sunday’s 4 p.m. matchup between IU and Radford. But Corbin doesn’t think any amount of pressure will affect Swanson.
“You can’t really catch him off guard with anything he does, whether its academics, its social, its athletics,” Corbin said, “the things I’ve been talking about for the past couple months.”
