Kendall Diggs explains what makes him a clutch player following walk-off home run
Arkansas’ second-round SEC Tournament win against Texas A&M on Wednesday was full of highlights. However, Kendall Diggs’ walk-off home run stood above the rest.
Tied at five runs in the bottom of the 11th inning, Diggs stepped up to the plate. It took three pitches for him to settle in and launch the game-winning ball over the right-field wall. It took the the 6-foot sophomore 20 seconds to strut around the bases before celebrating with his teammates on home plate.
When a reporter asked Diggs if he does anything to prepare for these clutch moments, the budding star remained humble.
“No, not in particular. I think our team as a whole, we’re just playing for each other. We all want to win. It’s a really selfless group of guys, so I’m just doing whatever I can to help the team win,” Diggs said during the postgame press conference.
While Diggs insisted he didn’t change anything particular for these clutch moments, he was kind enough to take the media through his thought process before the big hit.
“I didn’t want to jump on something that really wasn’t over the plate. Wanted to make him come to me, and he did with that first pitch fastball. Next two were really good pitches, probably maybe a ball down, so 2-1 count,” Diggs said. “I knew he was going to challenge me with something, just trying to get the head out, and it was good.”
Good is an understatement. Diggs is the Razorbacks’ go-to guy in clutch situations. In just two years with the program, he already has five game-winning hits.
Although Diggs has always been clutch, he’s become far more consistent this season in normal at-bats. The Kansas native went from batting .197 his freshman year to an impressive .317 hitting average this season.
Diggs simply feels lucky to be in his position.
“Subconsciously, you might lock in a little bit more in those moments or you know what you need to do and what you want to do. I’ve been blessed to be put in those situations, and I take any of our guys in those situations, as well.”
Diggs wouldn’t mind spreading the wealth. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn, on the other hand, is investing in Diggs in must-have situations.
“He’s a clutch hitter because I don’t think he gets too uptight,” Van Horn said. “He wants to be up there in that situation. I don’t feel like he was going up there trying to hit a home run. He was trying to get on base. He worked himself into a decent hitter’s count, and he got something he could handle, and he hit it.