BIG BAT - First Baseman Bobby Seymour

FIRST BASEMAN BOBBY SEYMOUR LOOKS TO ADD TO RESUME AFTER BEING NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND LEADING THE NATION IN RBIS LAST SEASON

By Sam Walker

Wake Forest first baseman Bobby Seymour didn’t feel well the night before the NC State game last April 18. Suffering from stomach discomfort, he went to bed early and slept in late the next morning. But he wasn’t going to miss playing against the Wolfpack.

“I just went to Jeff Strahm, our athletic trainer, and asked for some Tums, and he was kind of looking at me,” Seymour said. “I told them I’d be OK, and I could hit. I played, and we wound up getting a win. But after the game, Jeff brought a doctor to check me out. Coach Bill Cilento and Jeff took me to the hospital, and we stayed until 5 a.m. They told me I had appendicitis, gave me some antibiotics, and luckily I was able to play the rest of the season.” Thanks to the medicine, his appendicitis was a minor setback to an overwhelmingly outstanding season. Seymour became the seventh ACC Player of the Year in Wake Forest history after batting .377 with 20 doubles, nine homers and an NCAA-best 92 RBIs last season.

His sophomore campaign was highlighted by the staggering number of RBIs, the most for a Division I player since Buster Posey’s 93 in 2008, and just two shy of Jon Palmieri’s Wake Forest record of 94 in 1999. He led the ACC in hitting (16 points ahead of the second-place player), led the league with 89 hits, and tied for fifth in doubles. He batted .485 (48 for 99) with runners in scoring position with an amazing 45 two-out RBIs, an incredible clutch hitting statistic according to Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter. He had 32 multi-hit games and 23 multi-RBI games while starting all 57 contests.

“That (ACC Player of the Year) was something I never really thought about going into last season,” Seymour said. “I set my goals for how I wanted to hit but never thought about being ACC Player of the Year. But it was a huge honor.”

Seymour and teammate Chris Lanzilli, who may have been ACC Player of the Year were it not for Seymour, found out over phone calls separated by mere minutes they were ACC Player of the Year and a first-team All-ACC selection, respectively. The calls came as they were driving together to dinner.

“It was a pretty cool moment to share for sure,” Seymour said.

“When Bobby takes batting practice, other teams stop and watch,” Walter said. “He is a guy other teams are aware of at all times. Then Chris is right there next to him, and it’s like that 1961 season when Maris and Mantle competed against each other on a daily basis in a good way. Those two guys are inseparable and have a special relationship for sure.”

It was fortunate that antibiotics solved Seymour’s appendicitis for the rest of his sophomore season.

However, the antibiotics turned out to be a temporary solution. Just 10 games into his summer season playing for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League, he began feeling ill again, and an appendectomy became inevitable. The flare-up and subsequent procedure also prevented him from competing last summer with the U.S. Collegiate National Team.

“I really wanted to get back to North Carolina to do the Team USA stuff, but we went to the hospital around midnight or 1 a.m., and it was pretty tough,” said Seymour, who was restricted for about four weeks after the procedure.

Seymour has been a starter from his first day as a Deacon. As a freshman, he ranked third on the team with a .286 average, was second with 12 doubles and third with 32 RBIs. His seven home runs were all against ACC opponents, where he hit .286 in league play. That season set him up for his monster sophomore campaign after he realized what it took to compete at the collegiate level.

“I think it’s more on the mental side when you make adjustments as a freshman,” Seymour said. “Once you buy into what the coaches are telling you and put in the work, you understand you belong. That clicked for me the last half of my freshman season, and I just had that confidence.”

Walter said that in Seymour’s freshman year, it was all about maturity and putting in the work to be successful.

“Young hitters sometimes come in and think the skill work they get in practice is enough,” Walter said, “but baseball is an incredibly hard game. You’ve got to put in some reps before practice and after practice. He set the bar for work ethic and an intentional quality of the work.”

The Deacons led the ACC in scoring last season and return seven of their top nine hitters. The pitching staff also looks to be deeper and more polished under Walter, who is now in his 11th season. Seymour is part of a junior class with several potential professional prospects, and the team is also heavy with seniors and graduate student players who could return the program to postseason play. After hosting and winning an NCAA Tournament Regional in 2017 and pushing eventual national champion Florida to an elimination game in a Gainesville Super Regional, the Deacons did not advance to postseason play the last two seasons.

Seymour expects more of himself and the team this year. He and Lanzilli have received Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American honors, and they both were named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list by USA Baseball, an award given to the top amateur player in the country. There is little doubt Wake Forest, ranked 18th in the nation to open the season, should be able to generate runs this season.

“We led the league in runs per game, which is the most important offensive statistic because that’s what determines wins and losses,” Walter said. “All nine of those hitters are back and more mature. We feel good about being 12 to 14 hitters deep. “But the biggest strides were made on the mound. Three sophomores and a freshman went on to the Cape last summer and came back much better than they were a year ago, and we’ve had a fall where Coach (John) Hendricks could make use of the pitching lab data to help our pitchers. He has made some changes with some guys to pitch with greater velocity and command. On paper and based on what we’ve seen so far, this year’s staff is the best we’ve had while I’ve been here.”

Walter said anything short of the NCAA Tournament would be a disappointment. The key is to stay healthy, and the bar is not just to get into the NCAAs but be in a position to host a regional at Couch Ballpark.

“None of us are trying to play hero-ball,” Seymour said. “We have trust in each other when we hit and with our guys on the mound. We can pass it to the next guy if we don’t have it that day. I’m definitely excited to see what we can do this year.”

BOBBY SEYMOUR

CLASS: Junior

HEIGHT: 6-4

WEIGHT: 250

POSITION: First base

MAJOR: Communication

HOMETOWN: St. John, Ind.

HIGH SCHOOL: Mount Carmel HS (Ill.)

FAVORITE WAKE FOREST MEMORY: “Playing the first game of the season of my freshman year.”