Oklahoma shortstop Caleb Bushyhead has that special something that doesn’t always show up on a stop watch or a recruiting tape.
Sooners coach Sunny Golloway calls it the “it’’ factor, that quality that enables some athletes to step up their game when the stakes are at their highest.
“In the heat of the moment,’’ Golloway said, “they don’t change.’’
Bushyhead has demonstrated that ability throughout his first season as an OU starter, and did it again Sunday in helping the Sooners to a 4-3 victory against South Carolina at the College World Series.
The sophomore homered in his first at-bat, then delivered an RBI single in his second that gave his team a one-run lead going into a two-hour rain delay.
“When I’m getting up to the plate, I’m always looking to do something to help the team,” Bushyhead said. “Any way to get on base, whether it’s a base on balls, a hit by pitch or looking for a pitch in the zone that I can really handle and drive to the gap.”
Bushyhead’s sixth homer of the season broke a 1-1 tie in the second inning.
“Coming around the bases, I thought it was surreal,” Bushyhead said. “I thought, ‘Man, this is it, we’re doing it. Let’s go ahead and take it all the way.’’’
After South Carolina tied the game in the top of the fourth, Bushyhead delivered his RBI single that scored Cody Reine in the bottom half. That provided OU with the slim cushion that it took into the second lengthy delay of the game.
Bushyhead said the down time didn’t affect him or his teammates.
“Down or up, we’re going to come out battling for runs,” he said. “One run isn’t always going to do it. We’re always looking to go out there and score more.
“If we’re down by one, we’re not going to get bogged down. And if we’re up by five, we’re not going to let that affect us, either. We’re going to come out with the same tenacity.”
The Sooners added to their lead in the eighth when Garrett Buechele hit his 17th homer, a monster drive to left field.
“Honestly, I was just trying to hit a ball to right field to try to get an inning going,” Buechele said. “He left the pitch up and I put a good swing on it.”
Golloway came into this season counting on Buechele after the third baseman was the Big 12 freshman of the year in 2009. Golloway wasn’t quite so sure what to expect out of Bushyhead, who appeared in 20 games last season, all in a reserve role.
Oklahoma needed to fill some holes after having nine players drafted last season. Given the opportunity, Bushyhead responded with a season that has seen him blossom in the second half.
He has hit safely in 31 of Oklahoma’s past 35 games, with Sunday’s 2-for-3 performance lifting his average to .329. He is second on the team with 24 multiple-hit games, and his 16 doubles are tied for the team lead.
“We’ve got guys stepping up,’’ Golloway said. “They’re probably as amazed as I am how some of those guys are performing.’’
Contact the writer:
679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
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