After recording just one hit in 12 at-bats through the first four games of the season, Terrapins baseball first baseman Kevin Biondic didn’t get discouraged.
Instead, he leaned on his past.
Biondic played goalie in hockey throughout high school, and he credited the sport to developing his mental toughness that carried over to baseball.
“My dad always said, ‘When you let up a goal, you can’t just get down on yourself. You have to bounce back and keep your head in the game,'” Biondic said.
So after coach John Szefc removed him from the starting lineup in the Terps’ game against Rhode Island on Saturday, Biondic returned to the lineup Sunday with the same confidence he began the season with.
The sophomore went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and a two-run home run in the Terps’ win. Then in the Terps’ 12-7 loss to Delaware on Tuesday, Biondic continued his momentum with a 3-for-4 day with two runs scored.
After struggling to find a consistent spot in the batting order last season, Biondic has the second-highest batting average on the team among those who have recorded at least two at-bats.
“I come ready to play at the park every game,” Biondic said. “When your number’s called, your number’s called. Last year, I wasn’t in the starting lineup every day. You never knew if I’m going to come into the seventh inning for something. I took that from last year as a positive.”
Biondic didn’t make his first start until March 11 last season, and he didn’t find a consistent role as a starter until the postseason. The Oak Lawn, Illinois, native hit just .183 in 42 appearances last season, 24 of those coming as a starter.
But he stepped up when Szefc turned to him in the postseason.
He started all 10 of the Terps’ tournament games, and in the rubber match of the Los Angeles Regional against UCLA, Biondic notched two hits to help Szefc’s squad reach the Super Regional.
With the Terps losing five hitters in the offseason, Szefc has relied on returning players like Biondic to step up.
“He just needs to be consistent,” Szefc said. “Our biggest issue is we’ve been a little bit inconsistent. A guy like him gives you the same kind of thing everyday. If he gives you consistent defense and mix in his 2-for-4, that’s kind of what you’re looking for.”
Biondic said he didn’t change his approach after his early struggles. But Szefc said the sophomore’s strike-zone discipline, which he added is one of the best on team, improved from the Terps’ first series of the season.
“I’m having fun watching him,” freshman left fielder Marty Costes said. “He’s very gritty. I look up to him for that. It makes me want to follow up.”
The Terps have scored a combined 20 runs the past two games with the help of Biondic’s offensive resurrection. In their first five games, the Terps put up a combined 13 runs.
For the Terps to reach the Super Regional for the third consecutive season, Szefc said experienced players like Biondic need to play well. So even if the Terps go on a cold streak this season, Biondic won’t lose confidence in his swing.
“This game is a game of failure,” Biondic said. “You’re bound to make an error. The way you come back from that makes you a better player in the end. I always go up there with the same approach, even if I’m 0-for-10.”
