Freshman second baseman Evan Crawford stands near the IU dugout at Sembower Field.
The public address announcer goes around the horn, introducing the Hoosiers in the starting lineup. Crawford hears his name, works his way through a gauntlet of high fives from teammates, then jogs around third into shallow left field.
He nears the middle of the infield, cartwheels and back flips, landing smoothly and softly behind second base.
The pregame flip dates back to IU coach Tracy Smith’s days at Miami of Ohio when one of his players, outfielder Ryne Robinson, did the same move. It was at a fall practice that Crawford told Smith he could perform the flip, too.
“(Evan) had talked about it at fall practice,” Smith said. “One time on the turf at practice,
he whipped out a bunch of them. They were pretty cool. I liked it. The fans like it.”
The IU fans have embraced Crawford – as much for what he does on the field as his pregame acrobatics.