Monday, April 7, 2003
MEDFORD – With a line drive that cut through a strong wind and cleared the fence in left-center field at Wesleyan on Sunday (Apr. 6), Tufts senior CF Evan Zupancic (Lake Oswego, OR/Lakeridge) made Jumbo Baseball history. Again.
The home run, which came with two outs in the top of the first inning of game two, was the 20th of Zupancic's career. That moved him past Bill Canon (1987-90) and Eric Sholds (1991-94) into first place on the team's all-time list. Last season as a junior, Zupancic hit 11 home runs to establish a new single-season record. He also owns the single-season record for runs scored in a season with 47.
Zupancic entered the year with 17 home runs. He hit two to tie the career record in the second game of the season, a lopsided 28-5 win at Randolph-Macon during the team's spring trip on March 16. He went 12 games without a home run before breaking it a 3-2 victory over Wesleyan. Also during the game he made a spectacular diving catch to rob a Wesleyan batter of extra bases. Both plays are examples of Zupancic's outstanding five-tool talent that has been on display since his freshman season in 2000.
"I don't really think of him as a home run hitter," Head Coach John Casey said. "He's such a complete player who does everything well. He's not a one-dimensional kid like you might think about a guy who hits home runs. Even in that game, it was his catch in right-center that was the biggest play, not the home run."
Zupancic hit lead-off for the team during his first three seasons. He started 36 games as a freshman in 2000 and hit .309 with three home runs, 31 runs batted in, 24 runs, and eight stolen bases. As a sophomore he hit .309 in 35 starts with three home runs, 16 runs batted in, 36 runs and 14 stolen bases. Then as a junior in 2002 he had one of the best seasons in team history by hitting .359 with 11 home runs, 34 runs batted in, 47 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
As a Football cornerback, Zupancic set the team's career record for interceptions this past fall with the magic number of 20. He is also approaching other Baseball career records for runs scored, stolen bases, doubles and walks. Stay tuned.
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