April 21, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - From the first game of his career, it was apparent that senior Jimmy Tanner was going to be special. From that three-hit day against Limestone on Feb. 3, 2007 to his rampage of 13 hits in the last six games, that unorthodox, yet balanced swing, Tanner has left his legacy as one of the finest hitters in the 25-year history of the USC Upstate baseball team, cementing that legacy with career hit No. 242, a laser into the left-center field grass at Carolina Stadium on Tuesday night.

"I'm very pleased and happy for Jimmy," Fincher said. "To say that of all the guys who have played here he has accumulated the most hits is a neat thing. Congratulations to him. He has plenty more at-bats to follow, so we'll see how far he can take it."

Tanner holds his hands higher than most batters do before he drops them into position as the pitcher starts his windup and then, he uncoils, keeping his hands square as he drives through the zone. That approach has led to a sneaky consistency - 83 of his hits have been opposite field specials and 29 have been driven hard enough into the ground that his catcher's legs have been able to reach. His power numbers have increased with age, as he posted 15 doubles as a junior and he has added eight already as a senior, while he has tied career-highs of two homers as both a junior and a senior.

His patience, as well has matured with age, as his on-base percentage has risen each year of his career, currently sitting at a gaudy .480 heading into Wednesday night's game.

All of it combined has made Tanner the premier offensive player in Upstate's program during its brief stay in Division I, as he has posted a gaudy 205 hits in the past three seasons of Division I play. Below are 10 of Tanner's top hits, the moments that have combined to help him set the record.

No. 1 vs. Limestone, Feb. 3, 2007, Sixth Inning
It's no surprise that hit No. 1 in Tanner's career was like so many others off his career. He stepped up in the sixth-inning of his first collegiate game 0-for-2, but he sat back and drove a pitch into right center field for his first hit before coming around to score on a single by Jake Rollins. Tanner wasn't done in the game, adding a single through the left side in the seventh and driving a double to right center before scoring in the eighth inning, helping Upstate to the season-opening 11-0 win over the Saints.

No. 31 vs. Lander, April 14, 2007, Eighth Inning
Even as a freshman, Tanner had the ability to keep the Spartans in a game and on April 14, 2007, that is exactly what he did. In his first four at bats, he singled four times, scoring twice and driving in one, but the Bearcats had tied the game with five straight runs when he stepped up with two outs in the ninth. Tanner drove a pitch over the left field wall at Harley Park for his second career homer, starting a four-run inning, as Upstate held on for a 14-13 win over the Bearcats.

No. 50 vs. Campbell, March 14, 2008, Sixth Inning
It was early in his sophomore year and after starting out the year hot, with five hits in his first four games, Tanner's average had dipped all the way down to .214 by early March. A two-hit game against Mercer on a Sunday started to reverse his fortune and by Friday, he was back dialed in. Starting at designated hitter, Tanner was 0-for-2 with a walk and a run in the sixth inning when he drove a single up the middle on a full-count with one out to drive in A.J. Clark and Phillip Morgan for his 50th career hit, helping Upstate go on for a 13-2 win.

No. 52 vs. Campbell, March 17, 2008, Ninth Inning
Just one day after reaching 50 hits, Tanner and the Spartans engaged in an epic with the Camels. Upstate took a 3-1 lead, thanks to a fourth-inning run by Tanner, but Campbell came back to tie the game twice, once at three and again at four in the top of the eighth. With lightning swirling around Harley Park and a Campbell runner on second play was suspended for two days in the tie game. On March 17, Tanner was back behind the plate, catching a strikeout pitch from Scott Eckard to end the threat started 48 hours before. Then with two outs in the bottom of the inning, Tanner drove a single into right field to bring in Blake Green from second for his first of three career walk-off at bats.

No. 100 vs. FGCU, May 16, 2008, First Inning
It was the culminating day of Upstate's first Division I season when Tanner drove a 3-2 single into center field for his 100th career hit. Tanner, who only had one hit on the sunny Friday afternoon, was overshadowed that day by Andrew Runion, who became the seventh player in school history to reach 200 hits in the nightcap of the doubleheader, a 9-3 Upstate win that helped the Spartans finish 17-16 in the A-Sun. Still, Tanner finished his sophomore year with a .304 average and 67 hits, up from .272 and 37 as a freshman.

No. 114 at Tennessee, March 4, 2009, Ninth Inning
Seven games into his junior season, after a five-hit affair against Army just four days earlier, it was clear that Tanner was going to be the heart of the Upstate lineup for the foreseeable future. On March 4, he proved it, taking a 1-2 hanging curveball and finding the gap at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, driving in Blake Green from first base and lifting the Spartans to a 1-0 win over Tennessee, the school's first D-I era win over an SEC school.

No. 185 at Georgia State, Feb. 23, 2010, Sixth Inning
Playing against the defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, Tanner, just 20 miles from his home in Fayetteville, Ga., helped lift Upstate to another stunning upset. With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning, Tanner got his hands extended on a 3-2 pitch, cranking the ball over the left field wall for his first career grand slam, helping the Spartans on to the 9-7 win over the Panthers.

No. 200 vs. FGCU, March 13, 2010, Fifth Inning
Already with a hit in the game, Tanner stepped up in the fifth inning with a chance to reach a milestone reached only by seven others in school history. By driving a 1-2 pitch into left field, he reached career hit No. 200, just his second of three hits in the game and of five in the doubleheader against the Eagles. In one afternoon, Tanner moved from eighth all the way to fifth in school history.

No. 241 vs. Campbell, April 17, 2010, Fifth Inning
There've been plenty of drama-filled hits in Tanner's career, but his record-tying hit is one that is instantly memorable. With runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth, Tanner came to the plate with his Spartans down 1-0 to Campbell. All it took was a first pitch fastball for Tanner to find what he wanted and he uncoiled, sending the ball over the left-field fence, giving Upstate a 3-1 lead en route to the 4-3 win. It was Tanner's sixth hit of the weekend and 12th in five games, as he reached John Caddell's mark of 241 career hits, set from 2004-07.

No. 242 vs. South Carolina, April 20, 2010, Fifth Inning
Like so many of Tanner's hits, his record setter was classic solid hitting. With two outs and no one on, Tanner took a sidearm hanger from No. 5 South Carolina's Jose Mata and he drilled it, a liner into the left-center field gap, reaching first base and then getting ready for the next play. A little familiar, after all, 206 of his hits are singles, as Tanner was congratulated by the first-base coach, sophomore Branden Millhouse. As a steady rain fell down in Columbia, though, a couple more special things happened - the Spartans applauded just a bit longer than usual from their third-base dugout and the ball was immediately removed from play for Tanner to take home with him.