Hitting for the cycle, belting a grand-slam home run and putting your name in the record books.
For most baseball players, these three feats might take months, years or even an entire career to accomplish.
But Northwestern freshman third baseman Anthony Wycklendt has already done all three — in only 37 career at-bats.
“This guy is something special,” coach Paul Stevens said after a 13-10 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on April 30. “By the time (he’s a junior), he’s going to be doing some great things.”
Midway through his first season at NU, Wycklendt already has.
When the Wildcats (22-17) host Chicago State (4-28) today at Rocky Miller Park, Wycklendt will undoubtedly be thinking about the last time he faced the Cougars — an April 15 contest in Chicago that NU won 36-10.
Wycklendt collected seven base hits in the game, the third-best single-game hit total in NCAA history. He went 7-for-8, while hitting for the cycle and racking up nine RBIs on the day.
The Glendale, Wis., native is the first Big Ten player to get seven base hits in a single game.
“I don’t really know what to say about it all,” Wycklendt said. “But I’m going to try not to let that last game against (Chicago State) be much on my mind this time around.”
Wycklendt, a regular starter during NU’s midweek against nonconference games, has been torching opposing pitching when given the chance.
Despite starting only nine of NU’s 39 games this year, he is tied for second on the team in home runs with five — good for one home run per 7.4 at-bats.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is also third on the team with 20 RBIs and has a slugging percentage of .892.
“It’s kind of funny when people tell me about these stats,” Wycklendt said. “The other guys sort of give me a hard time about it.”
Although he cools off considerably during his occasional starts in conference play, he has still shown that he can hit Big Ten pitching.
In Saturday’s 18-3 romp over Iowa, Wycklendt came up to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and two outs. He promptly smacked a grand slam deep over the center-field wall.
“I just try to do what I can with the chances I get,” Wycklendt said. “As a pinch-hitter I know I have to be aggressive, and when I’m not playing, I have to keep working hard every day.”
And although Wycklendt’s overall batting average stands at .405, there are other parts of his game that need work before he can become an everyday member of the Cats’ lineup. Wycklendt strikes out often and has committed some defensive mistakes, but Stevens said it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.
“He’s a little rough in some areas, but he’s got great character and heart, just like the rest of the team,” Stevens said.
