Redshirt freshman Lockwood-Powell reflects on first career grand slam
With the bases loaded on a one ball, two strike count, Central Michigan junior Griffin Lockwood-Powell took a swing at his fourth curveball of the at-bat.
The result – a grand slam.
“It felt good off the bat,” Lockwood-Powell said. “It was fun to see all my teammates congratulating me.”
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound catcher, who sat out the 2017 season, has played in 23 games. Lockwood-Powell has a “nagging” injury, which has prevented him from being on the field every day. Currently, he is batting .329 with two home runs and 16 RBI.
“I just keep it simple and don’t try to do too much,” Lockwood-Powell said. “I just try to put the bat on the ball and do what I can.”
Since CMU returned from spring trips in Texas, New Mexico, and Florida to Mount Pleasant, the Chippewas have a 7-5 record. However, Lockwood-Powell still thinks the team has room for improvement.
“We’ve played a lot better the last few weeks,” Lockwood-Powell said. “We can still do better with winning games in the MAC.”
Up 8-0 in the third inning, Lockwood-Powell’s grand slam off Ball State junior right-hander JT Harmon put CMU ahead 12-0, leading the team to a 23-1 victory.
“In high school and college, I’ve never been a part of something like that,” Lockwood-Powell said. “It’s always good when everyone can contribute. It was just a good team win all-around.”
Head coach Steve Jaksa was proud for Lockwood-Powell as he watched the baseball fly over the fence but was more excited due to the lengthened gap of CMU’s lead.
“I was happy for the team and I was happy for the kid because it put us up by another four runs,” Jaksa said. “It was a big hit and a big moment in the game. It’s all about how he handles it to have the same approach the next game.”
CMU hitting coach Doug Sanders has continuously preached to Lockwood-Powell to stay calm and composed when hitting. So far, Sanders’ advice has worked.
“Coach is really helping me out to make sure I’m doing too much,” Lockwood-Powell said. “Hopefully we can keep this rolling.”
Coming out of Sioux Falls Lincoln High School in South Dakota, Lockwood-Powell was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the state. He played varsity baseball for four years and won a state championship in the 2014 season.
When Jaksa was recruiting the catcher to play in Mount Pleasant, he knew the ability to swing the bat was on his resume.
“He’s going to hit and will continue to hit,” Jaksa said. “He’s been pretty steady when he’s been able to play. He’s proven to us that he can do it.”
