Grey Epps getting comfortable at the plate
03/20/2019 | 2:02:00 | Baseball
Southern Illinois sophomore Grey Epps knew that he had big shoes to fill with the departure of three-time All-MVC shortstop Connor Kopach, who was drafted in the 25th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Through 19 games this season, Epps has taken the challenge in stride, as he currently leads the Salukis in batting average (.300), doubles (7) and extra-base hits (9).Â
After starting the season 3-for-21 at the plate and near the bottom of the batting order, the second-year starter has found a rhythm and now finds himself in the three-hole of the lineup.Â
"I am just seeing the ball a lot better and swinging at better pitches in the zone and ones that I can do damage with," Epps said. "I have been especially been working on not missing pitches early in the count. At the start of this season, I'd foul off some of the first few pitches and get in bad counts. Even this past weekend at Illinois, I'd get in bad counts, but the difference is that I gave myself a chance by not swinging at balls out of the zone.Â
In his last 10 games, Epps is hitting a team-best .412 (14-for-34) with six doubles and 10 RBIs. He has tallied one or more hits in nine of the 10 and reached base safely in each game as well.Â
"Just being relaxed has been big for my game lately and it honestly has a lot to do with how I feel," Epps said. "Hitting is mainly about how you feel and right now I just feel comfortable. My body is relaxed and lose, and I'm seeing the ball a lot better, which is allowing me to produce better at-bats."
Despite his recent success, it has not came without some struggles along the way. The Clarksville, Tenn. native began his freshman slate hitting 4-for-45, but despite the slump, he remained in the lineup. A 3-for-5 performance at the plate versus SIU Edwardsville in the 16th game of the 2018 season turned out to be the momentum changer needed. From that game on, Epps improved his game and batted .298 for the rest of the year.Â
"I started off slow, but as time went on I became more comfortable and started figuring things out," Epps said. "I made some small adjustments mechanically, but the main difference was being comfortable out on the field."
Since Epps flipped the switch against SIUE last season, he has reached base in 37 of his last 44 games played and it appears that he has found his comfort zone. With over 30 games remaining in the season, the two-year starter continues to stay focused and set on simply playing his game.Â
"When it comes to my mentality and success, I am not gonna try and change anything in my game as the season progresses," Epps said. "I just have to keep playing my game to the best of my ability."
