Thursday was a glorious day for
Windermere Prep (Windermere, Fla.) senior first baseman
Austin Glorius.
Austin Glorius
Courtesy of Ken Radcliffe
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder did a good imitation of his idol – Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton - by tying national records with five home runs and 17 runs batted in during a 38-0 rout of Faith Christian (Orlando, Fla.). The game was called at the end of five innings.
In the first inning, Glorius walked and belted a three-run homer. He hit a grand-slam homer and two-run double in the second frame. During the third, he collected another grand slam. He closed with two-run homers in the fourth and fifth.
Seven other players have hit five home runs in a single game. Only one other player, however, has driven in 17 runs in one outing. Nathan Williams of Athens, Ga., did it in 1948. Erik Van Meetren of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) was the last player to hit five home runs in a single game, doing so in 2009.
Glorius actually would have surpassed Williams had one of the runners ahead of him on his final home run not been called out for failing to touch one of the bases.
"I was just trying to hit the ball hard," Glorius told the Orlando Sentinel. "There's no other feeling like it."
Coach Gil Morales told MaxPreps that Glorius, who still is seeking a college scholarship, is a "late bloomer. It was just a great thing for him, because he works so hard."
