OXFORD — Hayden Federico admits he didn’t get the best read of the ball off the bat of Ethin Bingaman on Saturday.
But his recovery speed – due in no small part to his football background – more than made up for it.
And what a historic catch he wound up making.
With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning against Auburn in Game 2 of the super regional, Bingaman hit a ball deep to center with two outs and a pair of runners on base. Federico, a sophomore who didn’t start playing centerfield full-time until this season, initially didn’t step back with the ball and was forced into a full-on sprint toward the wall. He leapt with his left arm outstretched and caught the ball in the very tip of his glove, preserving the tie by saving at least one Tigers run.
Federico’s catch set the stage for a go-ahead home run from senior first baseman Will Furniss in the bottom of the eighth that sent Ole Miss (41-21) to its seventh College World Series and third under head coach Mike Bianco. The Rebels open College World Series play against North Carolina Friday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
“Off the bat, I didn’t get the greatest read. I didn’t realize he hit it as hard as he did. It was like 108 (mph) off the bat,” Federico said. “And I eventually figured out I had to retreat, so opened up kind of like a football player and just went back and had a little leap. And thank God it went in my glove. Kind of snow-coned it, and then like I opened the glove back up and it fell right into the pocket. Took a big deep breath, gave all the glory to God. And the fans out there in right field, they didn’t like me too much.”
Ole Miss is 5-0 this postseason, having swept through both the Lincoln Regional and Auburn Super Regional. That doesn’t mean the road has been easy, though, as the Rebels have outscored opponents 29-20 and haven’t won a game by more than three runs. Ole Miss is one of five SEC teams in the eight-team College World Series field, joining Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma.
North Carolina, the No. 5 national seed, walked off USC 4-3 in Game 3 of their super regional. The Tar Heels feature one of the top pitching staffs in the nation, ranking eighth in Division I with a 3.86 ERA. North Carolina averages 8.2 runs per game, good for 24th nationally.
“They’ve had a tremendous year … And when you look at them statistically, they do everything,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “I mean they hit, they have some power, they steal bases, they certainly pitch at a high level.”
Federico’s trip to Omaha is particularly meaningful. His father, Mike, was the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe for eight years and was an assistant at Southern Miss before that. Mike’s teams never made it to the College World Series, Hayden said, and his son’s trip will be the first for both of them.
“I’ve been telling a lot of people, my dad has never been fortunate enough to coach there. He’s been in regionals, super regionals but he’s never made it to the final dance. And I always wanted to go as a kid, and he was like, ‘No, you have to earn it or I have to earn it and we’ll go there together,’” Federico said. “So, it was a special moment for me personally when we won the game and I knew that it was going to be his first time to go up there as well. … It’s been a dream of ours since I was a little kid, and I’m pumped. I can’t wait to get up there.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
