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Sacramento State outfielder Matt Masciangelo can be proud of his on-base percentage two games into the 2024 college baseball season.
In his debut for Sacramento State on Friday, Masciangelo was hit by a pitch seven times in eight plate appearances during a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount.
A bucket of NCAA tournament baseballs. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons hosted the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers on June 2, 2017, at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, NC in NCAA Division I College Baseball Tournament Winston-Salem Regional Game 2. Wake Forest won the game 11-3. (Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Masciangelo was hit three times in Game 1 and four times in Game 2, and said none of the HBP's "felt malicious."
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"Baseball is a game full of surprises, and this was one for the books," Masciangelo told MLB.com. "As fate would have it, I consistently found my way to first base without swinging the bat. Maybe it was my stance or the pitchers' game plan to come inside, but either way, it was an unusual way to get on base.
An NCAA logo is seen during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators during the Division I Men’s Baseball Championship held at Charles Schwab Field on June 26, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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"I always approach the plate with a plan to drive the ball, but it didn’t work out that way tonight. I’m just glad I was able to get on base and give my team a chance to score runs."
Only one MLB player has ever been hit by a pitch as many as five times in a doubleheader, according to MLB.com.
Masciangelo, a junior, transferred to Sacramento State from Cal State Bakersfield. He was hit by a pitch only once last season.
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Batting gloves are seen on the rail to the Florida Gators dugout prior to Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field on June 26, 2023, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
"After the third HBP in the first game, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation," Masciangelo told MLB.com. "It's not every day you find yourself trotting to first base, multiple times, without swinging. I guess it was after that moment I realized this was completely ludicrous. I had four more balls unfortunately find me after that, but hey, I’ll take the on-base percentage bump."
Friday was the opening day for the 2024 NCAA Division I college baseball regular season.
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