Willy Kesler needs to buy outfielder Max Willett a nice steak dinner after the UNM baseball team’s 3-2 victory over No. 4 TCU.
Willett helped Kesler earn his fourth win of the season as pitcher with a highlight-reel performance at center field Saturday.
Willett was a defensive machine in a game that featured the two top teams from the Mountain West Conference.
He made two diving catches off of TCU fly balls while avoiding the center field hill at Isotopes Park.
“I wish I could have seen it,” Willett said. “I really don’t even truly remember it that much. It is just one of those plays where you are in the moment and you just try to catch it and try not to fall on the (hill).”
In the top of the fourth inning, Willett robbed Matt Curry. But in the bottom of the fifth, Willett made the play of the game.
Before the 428 sign, Willett made a circus catch and stole a would-be triple from Jerome Peña.
Kesler said both spectacular catches by Willett would certainly have prevented the Horned Frogs from doing some damage on the Lobos.
“Making that play, that would have scored a run,” Kesler said. “Who knows what would have happened after that? That was definitely a huge play by Willett, and I couldn’t ask for better fieldage behind me. I mean, (as a pitching staff), we have got outstanding players behind us on the mound.”
But that wasn’t all Willett did. He aided Kesler out with his bat.
In a game that limited runs for both teams, the Lobos flexed their muscles in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Willett hit his first home run of the year to extend the Lobos’ lead after Chris Juarez hit a two-run home run earlier.
“I was so excited for (Juarez),” Willett said. “That was two runs on the board. and I was not trying to think of even getting one for myself. We had a two-run lead and that is what we were just trying to do was get that first lead, because we had never had it against TCU.”
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UNM head baseball coach Ray Birmingham said he wasn’t surprised that Willett could make plays like that, as he has seen him make them before.
“How about that defense by Max Willett?” he said. “I have seen Max do it and Juarez do it. Those two guys are the kings of the diving catch. They have done it all year long.”
Willett said he never in a million years could have imagined a day as successful for him as this one.
“That is what you kind of envision yourself trying to do, but in reality it rarely ever happens,” he said. “The funny thing is our volunteer coach came in and told me, ‘When you make a good defensive play, you know what happens? You get a RBI in the next inning.’ And that was the inning that I hit the home run in after making that catch. It was kind of cool and we were joking about it afterwards.”
