With the way junior infielder Trent Liolios was swinging the bat through the season’s first 30 games, it looked like Northwestern’s single-season home run record was bound to fall sooner or later. However, the Newport Beach, California, native soon went on an 11-game stretch without a home run, lulling at 15 homers.
But Liolios finally claimed what was his against Butler on Tuesday.
Facing a 1-0 count in the bottom of the fifth inning, Liolios took advantage of a pitch that was left right over home plate. He sent it over the center field wall for his 16th home run of the campaign, breaking the program record for home runs in a season.
“It’s a big relief, to be honest,” Liolios said. “I’ve definitely been struggling recently, so it feels good to get it out of the way and just be able to focus and not think about it.”
The rest of the Wildcats’ (20-22, 9-12 Big Ten) offense proved to be successful at the plate, as they defeated Butler (14-30, 3-9 Big East) 11-7 with the help of four home runs.
Graduate student left-hander Blake MacMillan took care of the opposing offense by holding Butler to three scoreless innings, while his teammates provided the run support.
“(MacMillan’s) been battling his tail off all year,” coach Ben Greenspan said. “I just like getting the game going and setting the tone early on.”
After MacMillan retired the side in the top of the first, junior infielder Owen McElfatrick, junior outfielder Jack Lausch and senior catcher Bennett Markinson batted in three runs in the bottom of the frame.
NU continued to put the bat on the ball and churn out runs. Between the second, third and fourth innings, the ’Cats tallied six runs, three of which came off of home runs from graduate student utility player Tyler Ganus, sophomore infielder Ryan Kucherak and McElfatrick.
Ganus had a 2-for-2 day at the plate — extending his hitting streak to four games — with a home run and two RBIs.
“(Ganus is) the embodiment of what you want in terms of a teammate and a player,” Greenspan said. “He’s had good at-bats. He’s been on base a ton lately.”
There were more runs to be had in the fifth inning, as Liolios finally got his pitch, hitting a two-RBI home run to center field to extend the NU lead to 11.
With Butler’s Espn Simpson failing to throw many strikes, Liolios said he was hunting a fastball.
“It kinda all happened really fast,” Liolios said. “Just kinda being patient and waiting for a good pitch. I got it, and it worked out pretty well.”
Greenspan, in his second season coaching Liolios, said he is proud of the work his star has put in to etch his way into program history.
“There have been a lot of baseball teams and a lot of baseball players that have come through Northwestern,” Greenspan said. “To own a record like that, a single-season record like that, is something that he should be really proud of.”
NU’s defense found trouble in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing seven runs, but the Wildcats held on to secure a 11-7 victory.
Liolios will have opportunities to extend his record, starting this weekend when NU travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a weekend series against Purdue.
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