Supers bring out friendly competition at second base
In the middle of the season, the starter at second base was chosen more for his defense and less about offensive fireworks. Things have changed a little bit since the postseason started.
It seemed like a revolving door at second base with DC Arendas and LT Tolbert with neither player really separating himself. Now, there still isn’t much separation but for good reason.
Both knocked the ball around the green grass in the Founders Park outfield during last weekend’s regional, going a combined 11-for-24 (.458) with 11 runs scored and eight RBIs. Arendas also had two home runs over a three-game span.
This brings an interesting question to the forefront, something that was present for Tuesday’s winner-take-all game, which is who will start at second base in the Super Regionals this weekend?
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But for the players involved, they aren’t worrying about when their number is called. They just want to be ready when it is.
“Everyday LT and I rotate around,” Arendas said. “We have infielders continuously circling around the diamond. So it’s not me versus him. It’s us versus the issue and the issue is we have to get better every day.”
Before the postseason, Arendas started at second base in five straight games and Tolbert hadn’t started since May 13 and hadn’t started at second since April 22.
But with Tolbert's resurgence at the plate and his knack for putting the ball into play, he is making it a conversation to play him at second.
He said he feels he’s regaining the coaching staff’s trust after a few good pinch-hit at-bats in the SEC Tournament and are rewarding that with more playing time. And after the brief hiatus, Tolbert’s happy to be back in the fold.
“There weren’t any conversations about it; he (USC head coach Chad Holbrook) just put me back in the lineup,” Tolbert said. “I’m just trying to make the most of it. With me not paying there for a couple weeks, I felt like I was a little rejuvenated. It was exciting.”
And now with Arendas and Tolbert heating up at the same time, the competition is ratcheted up as well. But the goal, like Arendas said, is to get better and not to worry about who starts.
“It’s fun. We’ve been with each other for so long that we’re best friends out there playing a game,” Tolbert said. “When it comes down to it, Coach Holbrook’s the one who writes the lineup out. We trust that he’s going to make the right decision.”
Even with a competition of who will start, there’s no animosity between the two players. This team’s pioneered a lighthearted atmosphere around the diamond all season and that’s the way the second basemen are treating it heading into the Super Regional against Oklahoma State this weekend.
Tolbert is such a young player and Arendas getting ready to finish his collegiate career. But no matter what Arendas is going to use this competition and situation, as he always does, as a teaching moment.
“LT is somebody I can talk to any day about anything. I try to encourage him because I know what he’s going through, I know what he’s thinking about,” he said. “I obviously went through slumps this year, so I just want him to know no matter what he’s got to keep working hard. He’s going to do a lot of good things for this program.”
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