Armani Guzman found his way onto the diamond in nearly every game this season for West Virginia baseball this season, but had started just 20 of the 44 games appeared in for the Mountaineers.
So when Guzman found himself back in the starting lineup for WVU this weekend entering the regional round of the NCAA Tournament amidst a late-season slump for the Mountaineers, it only felt right that he was one of the players who stepped up in a big way during victories on Friday and Saturday to help put West Virginia in the driver’s seat at the Clemson Regional.
"We were getting shut out in that final game of the Big 12 Tournament, and he got to third," said coach Steve Sabins after Friday’s win. "I said, 'Damnit, Guzman. I need to put you at third base. It's killing me going to bed every night without you being in the lineup. Can you play third base?' He said, 'I can play third base, Sabes.' I said, 'All right, you're going to play third base.”
During Friday’s 4-3 win over Kentucky, Guzman hit a sacrifice fly to help the Mountaineer walk off the Wildcats, a big moment at the plate to cap a performance that saw him go 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
He would follow that effort up on Saturday with another massive effort -- after his first at-bat saw him smack a massive line drive that a Clemson infielder snagged out of the air in an unlikely play, he would follow up by advancing Brodie Kresser to second base on a bunt, a trip around the plates for Kresser that would end in him scoring WVU’s fifth run of the evening
Guzman later drove a huge double deep into left centerfield, driving home Brodie Kresser to help the Mountaineers tie the game at 5-5 after sacrificing their lead. He would eventually get back to the plate in the ninth inning and was hit by a pitch that enabled WVU to drive another run across home plate in an offensive stretch that saw the Mountaineers break a late-game tie with Clemson and secure the game with a four-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth. Guzman finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate with 2 RBIs.
"I was pretty nervous the whole day seeing the lineup around and playing third," Guzman said after Friday’s game. "I haven't played it much, but I like the infield a lot. I always tell Sabes I'm a shortstop. He kind of believes me, kind of doesn't, but I'm there taking ground balls every day. I was kind of prepared for the moment."