THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604230150
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 31 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Norfolk Academy's Mike Willey is known for doing some wild things, but until the Bulldogs' baseball team played St. Christopher, they were usually confined to the sidelines.
The senior, who is vice president of Student Council, routinely colors his face and stomach for school basketball games and even painted his Ford orange to show his spirit.
But Willey, who describes himself as mainly a bench player, had never hit a home run until Norfolk Academy met St. Christopher April 12.
``I never even hit one in practice,'' he says.
On consecutive pitches in that game, Willey belted a high fastball for a grand slam and followed that with a three-run home run.
``I was so excited after the first one that I started to run like crazy,'' he said. ``I almost caught up to the guy on first.''
Willey estimates he's only taken 20 at-bats in his first two years, and Bulldogs coach Jon Waite says he uses him largely as a pinch hitter.
``For something like this to happen to him is amazing,'' Waite says.
Willey said he wasn't even thinking about hitting another when he faced St. Christopher pitcher Mike Kelly for the second time.
``The first one was such a shock to hit, I wasn't thinking at all,'' he said. ``But at least four of my friends said they knew I was going to hit another one out.''
The second trip around the bases, he said, overwhelmed him.
``I must have looked silly,'' he said. ``I was smiling so much.''
Norfolk Academy won the game 12-10. by CNB