It's never great for an outfielder to watch an opponent hit a home run over their head, but that doesn't mean one can't have a little fun with it. During Sunday's game against Iowa during the NCAA Tournament, Indiana State's Adam Pottinger had a sheepish smile on his face after making everyone believe he caught a ball that was actually hit out of the park.
The Sycamores were up 11-7 at the bottom of the seventh inning. Iowa's Brayden Frazier was trying to help his team cut the deficit and managed to send the ball to deep left-center, eventually over the wall. Pottinger, a junior outfielder, kept his eye on the ball. He chased it and jumped to try to catch it before it went over.
Pottinger jogged back from the wall with his glove closed. The crowd and announcers went wild as it seemed he pulled off a miracle catch and robbed the home run. But as Frazier was heading back to the Hawkeyes' dugout, Pottinger opened his glove to show he actually didn't have the ball.
Frazier then resumed his home run trot around the bases.
The left fielder pretends to rob a home run and EVERYONE believes it 😭 pic.twitter.com/MTxQy7Fir1
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 5, 2023
It was not a bad day for Pottinger, as he ran his on-base streak to 36 consecutive games -- the longest on-base streak since Mitch Hannahs took over as head coach in 2013. Indiana State eventually topped Iowa in the Terre Haute Regional final with an 11-8 result. The Sycamores improved to 45-15 overall record on the season. Their 45 wins is a new high in the Hannahs era.
The Sycamores have now earned a ticket to the Super Regionals for first time in program history. They will face the winner of Arkansas and TCU later in June.
