Players in the Coastal Carolina dugout hopped off the bench in unison and made a big ruckus late in Saturday’s game when they retired Georgia State’s Will Mize in his final at-bat. It wasn’t a particularly momentous out. It just hadn’t happened much throughout their series.
Mize was 4-for-5 in that game – he had gone 3-for-5 in the series opener – and had been hitting lasers all over the field. The Chanticleers were just pleased to see him somewhere other than rounding the bases.
“They were cheering because he had been on base so many times and hit the ball so hard, and they couldn’t fathom getting him out,” Georgia State coach Brad Stromdahl said. “They were jumping up and down because they finally got him out.”
That’s been the case with many of the other teams in the Sun Belt this season. Mize, a senior third baseman from Brookwood High School in Snellville, is finishing his career in grand style.
Credit: Georgia State University
Credit: Georgia State University
He leads Georgia State in batting average (.350), home runs (16) and RBIs (58). He has 150 total bases, just eight behind Max Ryerson’s single-season mark. Mize leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks No. 11 in Division I with 82 hits and ranks fourth in the conference in home runs, sixth in RBIs, third in doubles (18) and 10th in runs scored (56).
He had a 21-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday at South Carolina-Upstate, one game shy of matching the school record. During that stretch he hit .417, slugged .813, and had eight homers and 28 RBIs.
None of that seems to faze Mize, a sturdy 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-handed hitting third baseman.
“I haven’t really thought about getting hits every time,” Mize said. “I just want to do what I can to help the team and put runs on the board or move somebody over, whatever I can do.”
Stromdahl has grown accustomed to hearing that from Mize. “He’s bought into our approach, and it’s unbelievable how he stays with it. He’s humble and modest, but the reality is he’s a really good baseball player, and it’s a lot of fun to watch him play every day.”
With three games remaining in the regular season, Mize has put up some big career numbers. He ranks fifth all-time in hits (251), sixth in doubles (51), eighth in home runs (33), fifth in RBIs (162) and third in total bases (405) in 195 games.
The career numbers are even more impressive considering that Mize lost his starting job as a junior and even considered moving elsewhere.
“My junior year I hit a little rough spot, got benched and didn’t play that much, but it was for the best for the team, and at that point it’s what the team needed to win,” Mize said. “That year was tough, but it was a very, very strong moment in my baseball career.”
Mize ruminated on his future throughout the summer, had discussions with his family and the coaching staff and decided to return to Georgia State.
“That was the right decision,” he said. “I got around the new group of guys and that was a lot of fun. They were very competitive, just like this team this year. That’s really the reason I came back. I love the coaching staff, I love the group of guys and I love it here at Georgia State.”
Mize also met his wife, Audrey, at Georgia State. The couple was married in November, and he credits her for adding stability and support.
Credit: DALE ZANINE
Credit: DALE ZANINE
Stromdahl said, “He just had to let a lot of the other things go, because he’s been unbelievably talented since he got here. He’s made strides every single year, offensive, defensively, mentally, from a leadership standpoint. He’s the ideal teammate, the ideal player you want to coach.”
Georgia State (24-29, 12-15 Sun Belt) needs a successful weekend against Old Dominion (27-23, 13-14), Thursday through Saturday at GSU, to secure a spot in next week’s Sun Belt tournament in Montgomery, Alabama. The Panthers are tied with Texas State (26-27, 12-15) for the final spot, one game behind ODU.
“I’ll put us any day of the week into a position where we control our own destiny and I’ll take it,” Stromdahl said.
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