Baseball’s Lucas Mead, a sophomore general business major, recently earned back-to-back GLIAC Player of the Week honors. His stats reflect his performance on the diamond, where he has a 0.667 batting average, a 0.772 on-base percentage, and a 1.133 slugging percentage.
These numbers and Mead’s mentality pushed him to the top spot in the conference.
“I felt very good mentally”, Mead said. “I try not to think very much while I’m in the box other than thinking hit the ball to right center field [although] there was a little pressure on my next at-bat to get a single.”
On Saturday, Mead went 5-for-5. His 10-for-15 performance also demonstrated his consistency. However, leading in several categories has added pressure for him to perform.
“It feels great to be leading the GLIAC and DII in a few hitting categories, it shows how me and the people around me how much work I have put into baseball over the course of my life”, Mead said. “[However] There is a little pressure now when I step into the box.”
At the plate, Mead focuses on swinging at fastballs earlier in the count. He also works with his coach preemptively to adjust to hitting off of different pitchers.
“When it comes to adjusting to different pitchers, we usually have a scouting report on him,” Mead said. “My coach will tell me what he tends to throw in certain pitch counts.”
Having had a strong bond with his father from an early age, baseball came naturally to Mead.
“My dad had me playing baseball since t-ball and it kind of just stuck with me through my growing up years,” Mead said. “[Being] my biggest influence in the sport [also] coached me.”
Mead has his sights set on professional baseball but also has a backup plan.
“I do want to play professional ball after my college career. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I picked up a baseball,” Mead said. “Everyone doesn’t always make it pro, though, so if that’s the case, I plan to start a career in business.”
Mead unwinds in baseball, finding it to be a good break during the week. “At the end of the day, the sport is just a game to enjoy,” he said.
Mead attributed his success to his team and the camaraderie they have established.
“The team has 100% to do with my success, everyone is always pushing each other to be the best that they can be and it’s always a good environment to be around,” Mead said. “The team allows me to play carefree and always has my back when I fall.”
Having his friends, Ethan Sheib and Jack Decker, on the team also contributed to his success.
“I have [a] competition with Ethan Sheib in the weight room. We are always competitive with each other and try to outlift one another,” Mead said. “In the offseason, I face [Jack] and try to get as many at-bats off him as [I] can to help me during the season.” Mead and the rest of the team will play next on Tuesday, Apr. 8 at Northwood at 3:00 pm. More information can be found online at www.svsucardinals.com and the team’s Instagram, @svsu_bsb.
Such an interesting read! What an amazing writer!