by Phil Parker
Daily Lobo
Lobo shortstop Dusty Young remembers 13 games ago, stepping up to the plate in Nogales, Ariz., against the University of Arizona baseball team - when he thought his hitting streak might be coming to an end.
"We were playing a night game, the lights weren't great and I was having trouble seeing the ball," Young said. "I went up for my last at-bat and thought my streak was probably over. Fortunately, I managed to make contact."
Young smacked a base hit to center, extending his hitting streak to 21 games against the 21-st ranked Wildcats. He hasn't had a game go by since without getting a hit and last weekend he set a Lobo team record by hitting in his 34th consecutive game.
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"It's a great feeling," Young said.
Young added that he never expected to go on a tear like this, and the fact that he broke the previous record, set last year by former teammate, roommate and friend Troy Cairns, only makes it sweeter.
"It's all good to take it away like this," he said. "It gives me bragging rights."
A self-described "gap hitter," who has sent out five home runs this season, has cranked out a team-high 21 doubles.
"I try to get on base, but I also find the gaps and drive in runs," he said. "I don't strike out much and I've been getting the ball in play, so that definitely helps."
"I've just been feeling good at the plate all season," he added. "Especially towards the beginning of [the streak], I was feeling really confident."
Young has avoided hitless games because he's managed to remain in a "zone" and avoid any hitting slumps that baseball players often encounter. Quick starts in games have been essential for Young and his streak. Other than the game in Nogales, the shortstop can't ever remember being worried that he wasn't going to get a hit.
"It's funny," Young said. "I've managed to get hits in my first or second at-bat, so the pressure hasn't really been getting to me."
Once he started closing in on the record, Young admitted that he did start to think about the streak.
"I started to feel the pressure, but I was relieved by all those early hits," he said.
Asked if he has kept any trends or superstitions throughout his streak, Young said that he doesn't really like to bring it up. But he did admit to keeping with a Roy Hobbs-like pattern of taking batting practice with the same ratty bat day in and day out.
"The guys kind of make fun of me for it, but I keep using the same bat even though it's got a big crack," he said. "I could never use it in a game, the crack keeps getting worse, but I make sure I always take some swings in BP with that bat."
So far the bat seems to be doing the trick and the Lobos are hoping it doesn't break, because UNM (23-13, 7-5) had ridden a team-wide streak of good hitting to the top of the conference, before losing three tough games at conference-rival UNLV.
"We're having a great season, better than last year," Young said. "We've beaten some good teams, and even when we lose it's only by a few runs. We know that we can play with anybody."
That makes the streak even more special. The Lobos have a fighting chance of winning the Mountain West Conference and Young is certainly doing his part to make that happen.
