Everyone loves home runs. Who doesn’t get excited when the ball gets absolutely crushed? It gets the fans going, brings in runs, and is a major counting stat for players.
Me? I like homers, too, sure. But I live for the web gems. And man, Reggie Bussey had one.
On March 27 in East Lansing, Oakland center fielder Reggie Bussey dove for a line drive to center against MSU. He came up with the ball in his glove, preventing the runner on first base from advancing in a close 6-6 ball game in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Grizzlies would go on to win the game 11-7, securing their third win ever against the Spartans. Bussey would get on base twice in seven at-bats, driving in a run along the way.
But it was the catch that proved to be the center fielder’s big moment.
“I just woke up and got a call from my mom saying that I was on SportsCenter,” Bussey said.
That’s right. His outstanding catch earned the No. 4 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
It’s all in a day’s work for Bussey, though.
“We just practice every day wanting the ball in the outfield, so as soon as I got the read of where the ball was going, I told myself I’m not letting the ball drop,” he said.
I asked him if the dive was totally necessary, to which he replied, “I had to catch it any way possible,” (necessary or not, it adds style points).
Despite the sensation of the catch, Bussey doesn’t believe it was his best snag. His best, he claims, came against MSU a year ago, where he, “robbed a home run that wasn’t caught on film.” We’ll take his word for it.
The catch provided a needed boost of energy into Oakland’s young season. The Grizzlies sit at 10-14 as of March 27, but a big win against MSU will serve as a launch pad for the team.
“We love to play against really good opponents, especially these Power 5 teams. We try not to make the game more than what it is, but it obviously feels good to come away with the dub against MSU,” Bussey said.
The sophomore has been a standout for Oakland this season. Bussey leads the team with 30 hits, boasting a .316 batting average across 95 plate appearances. He has yet to hit a homer this season.
I asked him about his approach at the plate: “It definitely has something to do with my approach as I’m just trying to find a way on base but it’s becoming more unconscious as the season goes on.”
He is certainly doing his part as he leads the Grizzlies in runs with 24.
The team’s struggles so far have come, according to Bussey, when either the pitching is going but the bats aren’t, or the bats are going and the pitching isn’t. But when they both click, “We are a hard team to beat,” Bussey said.
The appearance on Sportscenter will be a footnote in the season. But right now, it’s a really great moment for a great player, and yet another example of Golden Grizzlies athletes making national news. Bussey is the latest Grizzly to go viral after the swim team went viral at the basketball games and Jack Gohlke’s sensational shooting against Kentucky.