BOCA RATON, Fla. — Two grand slams are better than one.
Just ask Florida Atlantic University freshman Caleb Pendleton, who hit a pair of grand slams in a single inning Saturday night in his first two plate appearances.
"I honestly didn't know that I was playing last night until I got to the field," the Jensen Beach native told ESPN 106.3 FM.
Pendleton said there was talk about not even playing the game because of trouble with the lighting at the stadium.
He admitted he was "nervous" before his first collegiate appearance at the plate.
"I wasn't trying to do too much," he said. "I just wanted to put the ball in play."
It worked out well for Pendleton, whose second inning against Central Florida was a memorable one.
The 18-year-old catcher said "kind of chased" his first two swings before he "locked it in, choked up a little bit with two strikes" and swung on a curve ball by freshman starting pitcher Hunter Patteson.
Pendleton called it "surreal" when he was rounding first base as the ball sailed out of the park.
His second at-bat was equally impressive.
"It really didn't hit me that I hit two grand slams in the same inning until I got back to the dugout," Pendleton said.
Two grand slams in one inning, in your first two college ABs⁉️ @CalebPendleton9 take a bow‼️ 🤯#NCAABaseball x 🎥 @FAUBaseball pic.twitter.com/2PJGM7i19y
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) February 22, 2021
He said the "reaction was different" in the dugout the second time around.
"They were all kind of, like, shocked, so it was just, like, a really cool experience," he said.
The Owls (2-0) went on to win 20-15 after the 12-inning slugfest.
So where does Pendleton go from here?
"I know I'm not going to be the starter this year," Pendleton admitted.
At this rate, though, he'll be finding his way into the lineup more frequently.
Pendleton said he just wants to do whatever it takes to help the Owls win.
"So just playing my role when it's time to play my role is going to be the most important thing for me," he said.
