Tyce Armstrong might have just reestablished what it means to make a first impression. Armstrong, a redshirt senior first baseman making his first start at Baylor, made NCAA history by belting three grand slams for the Bears in Friday night’s 15-2 run-rule victory over New Mexico State.
Armstrong became just the second NCAA college baseball player on record and first in 50 years to hit not one, not two, but three grand slam home runs in a single game, according to Associated Press. The former Texas-Arlington transfer joins Louisville‘s Jim LaFountain as the only NCAA players to have achieved that unique feat.
“I’m speechless,” Armstrong said after the game, according to SicEm385. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of. Unreal. It’s a great feeling for sure. I’m hoping to keep it going, but this team is great. It’s the best team I’ve ever been a part of.”
Check out his third and final history-making walk-off grand slam below:
Armstrong’s first grand slam came in the third inning on a 401-foot blast over the left field wall to go ahead 5-0 on New Mexico State, per SicEm385. The next inning, he did it again at the same spot to put the Bears ahead 9-0 after four innings. With his second blast, Armstrong became the first Baylor player with eight-or-more RBIs in a single game since Shea Langeliers in 2019.
“That was special,” Baylor pitcher Lucas Davenport said of Armstrong’s night, per SicEm385. “Last year, we played him, and he tore us up at UTA. It’s good to see him on our side this year.”
Armstrong stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the seventh and the bases juiced once again, ready to make history with an 11-2 advantage. And boy did he, belting a 2-0 high fastball over the wall in deep left-center to secure the walk-off run-rule victory Friday night.
“It was a situation for it, but I wasn’t trying to do it; I just got the right pitch and didn’t try to do too much,” Armstrong told SicEm385. “I’m always excited to hit. It was a cool situation to be a part of — coolest night of my life.”