Mason McCoy is his own kind of player.
He’s not Jake Adams, whose pure power has astonished Hawkeye fans across the state and has a Big Ten-leading 16 home runs.
He’s not Robert Neustrom, a talented sophomore from Sioux City who puts the barrel on the ball in such a flawless way that fans light up when he comes to the plate.
He’s his own kind of monster.
McCoy makes plays reminiscent of Derek Jeter look routine with his incredible range at his natural position, shortstop.
He consistently hits the ball in the gap, as evidenced by his 13 doubles, tied for second in the conference behind Neustrom.
He was also named a captain prior to the start of the season, demonstrating his leadership.
But the one thing that McCoy doesn’t do is get enough recognition. Besides being named Big Ten Player of the Week in late February, the senior leader has not received enough appreciation.
His .327 average is exceptional, but it gets overshadowed because Iowa has had five players hitting better than .300 for the majority of the season.
Still, when “Feel So Good,” by East Coast rapper Mase, is heard bumping through the PA system at Banks Field, it’s evident that something special could happen.
That’s exactly what went down when McCoy earned that conference player of the week award earlier in the season.
That’s what happened against Milwaukee when McCoy lifted his struggling Hawkeyes over the scuffling Panthers with a walk-off single in a game that played a lot closer than it had looked on paper.
In fact, head coach Rick Heller said he was even expecting McCoy to bring the winning run in when he came to the plate. There are few players around who fill their coaches with unwavering confidence.
Maybe that’s because of McCoy’s walk-off single in last year’s Big Ten Tournament game against eventual champion Ohio State. Iowa scored 4 to tie it in the bottom of the ninth, and McCoy sealed it with his clutch base knock in the 10th.
That’s what McCoy does; he shines when the moment is his and even when it isn’t.
During Big Ten play this season, McCoy has been even more impressive. The Washington, Illinois, native is batting a shockingly good .377, which further showcases his killer instinct in big games.
In the field, he’s just as good as one might hope. With 93 balls being hit to him in the field, McCoy has only made 3 errors and has made 57 assists thanks to his phenomenal range.
McCoy was snubbed in the 2016 MLB Draft, but that will most definitely not be the case this time around. While he may not be a high draft pick, executives in the professional ranks know better than to miss out on him again.
Players of his sheer skill with a knack for the game don’t come around all that often.
Maybe it’s his consistency, or maybe it’s the recently discovered power at Iowa. Maybe everyone is just used to it by now.
Whatever the case is, there will only be another month of it left.