Indiana Baseball: Shortstop Jeremy Houston Going Out in Style
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It would have been easy for Jeremy Houston to slide his baseball glove over the handle of his bat and walk on home kicking rocks down the road, putting years and years of memories behind him in the process.
It could have been over, the game he loved. Not officially over, mind you, but it might as well be.
it was April 4, and Indiana had just lost its fourth straight game to Ohio State. Houston, a redshirt senior shortstop from Chicago, was hitting .176 at the time and really struggling. So were his teammates; it was their worst weekend of the season. Something needed to change.
The change was that Indiana coach Jeff Mercer benched Houston for highly touted freshman shortstop James "Tank" Espalin. Two other freshman, outfielder Morgan Colopy and first baseman, were inserted into the every-day lineup, too.
Houston went to the bench, and would stay there week after week after week.
But not once – not ever – did he sulk or whine or, dare we say, quit.
Take his ball and go home? Sorry, that's not Jeremy Houston.
Instead, he spent each day helping the young Espalin as much as he could. He helped for more than a month, and always stayed at the ready, just in case.
"He's such a great kid, and he always has been,'' Mercer said. "He's always been so concerned about the team and the group, and he's always out there teaching and coaching. Even when he's not out there playing every day, he was consistently doing that, helping the other guys, because he cares so much about this team and this group and this university.
Houston really doesn't know any other way.
"I've been here for five years, and I've always taken a lot of pride in doing all I can for this program,'' Houston said. "It's was no different then. It was fine, to be honest. Look, Tank is going to be a great player and starting, that's a huge thing for a freshman. Every day I helped him, and every day I told him I always had his back.''
Another every day thing? Houston kept right on working hard himself, just in case. And five weeks later, when Espalin was slumping himself both at the plate and in the field, Houston found himself back out there at shortstop.
And he hasn't missed a beat. If anything, he's been even better since getting back into the starting lineup on May 9. In those nine games, he's 10-for-28 – a .357 average – with seven walks. He's leading the team since then on base percentage as well.
"It's been incredible to watch,'' Mercer said. "We've talked a lot the past couple of weeks. I brought him in and asked him about hitting leadoff. I told him, in these last 10 games, it was the best stretch of your college career. You're hitting, you're leading the teams in on base percentage. Can you do the same thing from the one-hole that you've been doing in the nine-hole?
"That's exactly what he's done, if not exceeded that. He's done an incredible job and he's been a boost for us at the top of the lineup.''
Houston jumped at the chance, even though he has no experience batting leadoff, not in college, not in high school. He's taking the same approach, having one solid at-bat after another.
"I kind of like the idea of ending my era with a bang,'' Houston said. "Baseball is a strange game, and you never know what might happen, saw I've always just kept on working and kept my eye on the prize. My confidence is up, I'm seeing the ball well and I have a good feel for how guys like to pitch to me.
"That leadoff role, that's all new to me, but it's a lot like the nine-hole, too, where I wanted to get on for the top of the order. The biggest difference is trying to see a lot of pitches, and relaying to my teammates what I'm seeing. Whatever I can contribute to this team, I'm going to do it.''
And he's had success.
"He's just an awesome kid and a great young man, and I couldn't be happier for him,'' Mercer said of Houston. "He works hard every day and those things allow him to show up and contribute.
"As he was able to get back in there, his confidence started to grow more, too. That self-belief and that confidence has helped him.''
Houston having success at the top of the order has allowed others behind him to assume different roles. Left fielder Drew Ashley, who's been hitting leadoff all year, slid down to the second spot in the order. It opens other opportunities. Houston is now hitting .273, nearly 100 points higher than where he was when he got benched.
"I do think it gives Drew the ability to be more multi-faceted, to do something that allows him to utilize his bat-to-ball skills a little more,'' Mercer said. "Jeremy's done a really good job of allowing Drew to come up in different situations, and it moved guys further down the lineup and puts them in positions where they can help, too.''
"Everyone has video, everyone has scouting reports, everyone knows every freckle on your face. They find your weakness and they come after it. It does help, and it's put guys in better positions to be successful. Moving Jeremy up has allowed everyone else to do that.''
Indiana had a rough week, losing five of six and losing out to Nebraska in the Big Ten race. They won on Monday, and still have a good shot at earning an NCAA Tournament berth. There are three regular season games remaining, this weekend in Maryland.
And then on Monday, the NCAA Tournament selection committee will determine Indiana's fate. If they're in – and they should be – Houston's career will continue. If not, then it will be all over and he'll move to Indianapolis to start his career in the life insurance industry.
"I'm not ready for it to end, I'm really not,'' Houston said. "This has been such a great experience here. I won't remember all the games, but I will remember the guys after the games, dancing and jumping around afterward, and then just chilling and grilling with the guys afterward.
"Most people will never understand what kind of family we are here. We're such a close group here. Monday was a hard day, the last one, and I've never wanted it to come. Especially after the losing streak, it was hard because we aren't used to losing.''
Houston, who had six hits this past weekend, will leave with many wonderful memories, most notably winning the Big Ten in 2019. The friendships, though, they will last forever.
In a month or so, he will be in the life insurance business, but he will ALWAYS be an Indiana baseball player.
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- BIG TEN STANDINGS, SCHEDULE: Here are the current Big Ten standings and this weekend's schedule, the last of the season. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA 2021 SCHEDULE: Here is Indiana's full 44-game conference-only schedule, including links to Tom Brew's game stories for the full season. CLICK HERE
- HOOSIERS IN PROJECTED FIELD: Despite losing five of six games, Indiana is still in the 64-team NCAA Tournament field according to the latest D1Baseball.com projected field. CLICK HERE