Falcon Sophomore Jace Wilson Plays All Nine Positions in Single Game
--Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Beach, FL was the scene for Falcon sophomore Jace Wilson to accomplish a feat more rare than a perfect game or a triple play. Wilson, the Flagler Beach native, played all nine positions on the field over the course of the seven inning game against Webber International University Junior Varsity team in a 14-4 win.
Wilson is a natural first baseman and outfielder throwing and hitting left handed. He is listed on the official roster as a left-handed thrower but has the ability to throw accurately with his right hand as well.
Midway through the 2021 season due to injuries at the catcher position the coaching staff had nobody left on the roster as a catcher. Prior to the next game Jace spoke with the coaching staff that he was a catcher when he was younger and that he could throw right-handed. Wilson geared up the day before the next game and caught a bullpen right handed and it was the Falcons best option.
Wilson caught the next six games for the Falcons behind the plate until the other catchers returned from injury.
Head Coach Tim Touma was asked what lead to the idea of playing all nine positions,
"Jace's desire to help the team in any way possible by catching was something I wanted to reward and getting a chance to have him play all nine positions was a extraordinary accomplishment for him in the game of baseball."
How extraordinary was yesterday for Wilson in the history of baseball? According to USA Today (2017), there have been just five players in the history of Major League Baseball that have played all nine positions in a single game. The most recent being Andrew Romine with the Detroit Tigers in 2017 against the Minnesota Twins.
At the college level, former Florida State Seminole and future Hall of Famer with the San Fransisco Giants Buster Posey accomplished the feat of playing all nine positions in a game against Savannah State in 2008.
Tim Touma commented on Jace's afternoon, "In 21 years at Daytona State that is the first time I've seen this done and the fact he was able to play positions left and right handed makes it very unique."
Former Falcon and current assistant coach for Webber University Matt Saliba commented on what he saw yesterday from the opposing dugout, "It is pretty special to see a player play all nine positions at a high level. Also to see him start the game behind the plate right handed and finish the game left handed on the mound is something you do not see every day."
Here is a recap of Wilson's afternoon:
1st Inning: Catcher. Caught four batters. Right handed.
2nd Inning: First base. Recorded one put out. Left handed.
3rd Inning: Second base. No defensive chances. Right handed.
4th Inning: Shortstop. No defensive chances. Right handed.
5th Inning: Third Base. No defensive chances. Right handed.
6th inning: Left field. No defensive chances. Left handed.
7th inning: Center field, Right field, and Pitcher. No defensive chances. Recorded the final out on the mound with a pop up to short.
Here is the link to the box score and play by play from the game:https://www.dscfalcons.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/boxscores/20220221_q3tv.xml
Wilson was asked about his afternoon and what was the toughest part about playing all nine positions.
He said, "The toughest part was figuring out where I had to go in each inning and trying to make my positioning and movements look as natural as possible."
When asked out of the nine positions he played on Monday which one did he enjoy the most.
"My favorite spot was definitely catcher, this is because I am involved in every single pitch and I think the catcher is the toughest and most respected position in the game."
Wilson batted ninth in the lineup and went 1 for 2 with a triple, a walk and drove in one run.
Sources:
Fenech, Anthony. "Andrew Romine Plays All 9 Defensive Positions in Tigers' Win over Twins." USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 1 Oct. 2017, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2017/09/30/andrew-romine-plays-every-position/720702001/.