Big Mac's Hits: Whoppers
By Jen Toland, College Beat Writer
May 17, 2010
Worcester, MA --- Corey McDonald’s proud
dad has always been a diligent keeper of his son’s
statistics, so you can understand Fred
McDonald’s excitement when he realized in mid-April
that Corey had a 14-game hitting streak.
“He called to tell me,” said McDonald, Worcester
State’s junior designated hitter. “I said,
‘Really, dad? Thanks. You’re not really supposed to
tell someone about that.’ It didn’t bother me, though.
It’s fun knowing that stuff.”
McDonald kept the streak going for eight more games.
The former Hudson High star, who transferred to Worcester State
this year after two years at Community College of Rhode Island, has
had some huge hits for the Lancers, including the game-winners in
all three of last week’s Massachusetts State College Athletic
Conference tourney showdowns.
In the championship game against Westfield State, Lancers coach
Dirk Baker gave McDonald the green light on a 3-0
count and McDonald snapped a 2-2 tie by cracking a seventh-inning
single that scored freshman Chris Creen.
“I struck out twice real bad at the beginning of the
game,” McDonald said. “Bakes had a lot of confidence in
me there, so that was great.”
The victory earned Worcester State (31-9-1) an automatic bid to its
fifth NCAA Division III tournament. The Lancers open regional play
on Wednesday.
McDonald, who clubbed winning home runs in WSC’s two other
MASCAC victories, was named MVP of the tournament. He takes an
eight-game hitting streak into the NCAAs.
“He really has been swinging it,” Baker said.
“He’s been phenomenal getting on base.”
Playing for coach Brian Davis at Hudson High,
McDonald was a T&G Super Team selection as a junior after
leading his team to the Division 2 state final. He pitched (9-0,
0.92 ERA), played third base, and batted .438 as the Hawks won 26
straight before falling to Somerset, 3-2, in the state championship
game.
“I’ve always been on good teams,” McDonald said,
“and this year just kept it going.”
He planned to attend Worcester State after high school, but, he
admits, his grades weren’t great. He played baseball for two
years at CCRI and worked hard in the classroom. McDonald is a
health education major at WSC — he’d like to teach and
coach — and his GPA is a commendable 3.2.
McDonald is among four transfer students who have played major
roles in the Lancers’ 2010 success. Tyler
McElman came over from American International,
Chad Kasik from Wheaton, and Paul
Rodriguez from Wayland Baptist, an NAIA school in
Texas.
Worcester State has won 30 games for the second straight season and
the Lancers had a school-record seven players selected to the
All-MASCAC team, including McDonald, who — along with senior
Joey Lucier and juniors Johno
Hinkell and Nick Fluegge of Ware —
earned first-team honors.
McDonald led the MASCAC in hitting (.414), slugging percentage
(.707), on-base percentage (.518) and total bases (94). The Lancers
hit a school-record 50 home runs with McDonald and Fluegge (eight
each) leading the way. Fluegge’s towering homer to center
field got Worcester State going in a 15-14, second-round MASCAC win
over Westfield State.
The Lancers nominated McDonald for MASCAC Player of the Year
— he sure had numbers worthy of the award — but
Westfield State’s Kevin Lyons took the
honor.
A number of players from Worcester State’s 2008 NCAA team
— which registered the school’s second regional
victory, 14-4, over St. Joseph’s (Maine) — are on this
year’s squad, so Baker likes the experience factor.
The Lancers have five solid starters — Lucier, Mike
Borowiec, Bobby DeVito, Kasik and
Shaun Slattery — and McDonald thinks the
offense is getting back to where it was during a 12-game winning
streak earlier in the season.
The Lancers hope it all comes together this week.
“The players from our last NCAA team haven’t told me
much about it,” McDonald said, “but one thing they did
say was, when you go to regionals, just go out and have fun.”