Brady Ware, a two-way player and graduate student for DII University of Indianapolis, authored one of the most impressive single-game performances possible on Friday, hitting for the cycle as a batter as well as throwing a no-hitter as a pitcher. His brilliance came against Drury University in the second game of a doubleheader. (Hat tip to MLB.com.)
On the mound, Ware tossed a shutout (both games were only seven innings in length), surrendering no hits in the process (obviously) and striking out 11 batters. He did issue five walks throughout his outing, dashing any hopes he had of throwing a perfect game. Offensively, he recorded four hits in four trips to the plate -- a single, double, triple and homer -- scored twice and drove in five runs total. The Greyhounds won by a 13-0 final.
Here's a look at the final out, courtesy of the school's athletic department's Twitter account:
According to the University of Indianapolis, Ware's no-hitter is the first for the school since Jordan Tackett did it in 2015. Meanwhile, Ware's cycle is the first since Jake Hartley in 2013. The Greyhounds add that he's the first player in school history to accomplish both in the same game, as well as "the first ever NCAA student athlete to accomplish this feat."
Ware entered Friday's contests hitting .288/.441/.500 with three home runs and nearly as many walks (18) as strikeouts (19) in his first 21 games. As a pitcher, he had appeared six times (starting twice), and had accumulated a 4.82 ERA and a 2.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the course of nine innings.
Ware had previously been part of the St. Katherine Firebirds, of the California Pacific Athletic Conference. He's originally from Poway High School, also based in California. Several current and former big-league players have hailed from Poway, including Alex Dickerson, Connor Joe, Tyler Nevin and Xavier Scruggs.