Cal State Monterey Bay outfielder KW Quilici went viral on Thursday night after making a catch so ridiculous that it should be considered among the plays of the year in college baseball.
With two outs and one on in the fourth inning, Cal State San Marcos designated hitter Mateo Lake sent a towering fly ball deep to center field. It appeared destined to sail over the fence 400 feet away but Quilici had other ideas.
Like Spider-Man, Quilici scaled the wall with seeming ease, hung his arm over the yellow tubing, and snatched the home run from over the fence.
The catch looked like something out of an exaggerated trick-shot commercial where athletes are seen making impossible plays, but it was very real.
Perhaps more impressive than scaling the fence and making the catch was Quilici’s ability to track the ball after turning his back to it. That he was able to find it again so quickly only adds to the drama of the moment.
Unfortunately for Quilici and Monterey Bay, the catch will be little more than a sidenote. San Marcos went on to secure a 9-2 victory.
Perhaps somewhat ironically, Quilici drove in the team’s only two runs with a fifth-inning home run that San Marcos wasn’t able to snatch from over the fence.
