As of August 3, Reid Howard (UVA) hadn’t homered since 2025. Since the CCBL East Division Series began three days ago, he’s homered twice, which included a go-ahead home run in today’s win-or-go-home game against the Chatham Anglers.
“It felt great. Kind of lost the power strike this past year, but got it back in the first game [this series], so it was nice,” said Howard.
The big hit came in the bottom of the third when Howard hammered a ball over the fence for a three-run home run that put Y-D ahead 3-0. He referred to his home run as something for the team to “build on”, which they did, as they went on to score five more runs for an 8-2 victory with two additional home runs by Mateo Serna (Alabama) and Jake Souders (Mississippi State).
Not only was the home run beneficial for Howard’s hitting statistics, but it restored Y-D with offensive momentum after a sluggish series game two where Y-D only recorded two hits all game, despite earning a 1-0 victory.
“He picked us up today,” said Y-D Manager Scott Pickler. “He’s capable of swinging like that. Sometimes he tries to do too much [but] he went directly to the ball there and it paid off. [He] put all the momentum our way.”
Howard’s first home run of the series came in game one. Although Y-D lost the game 9-5, Howard rediscovered his power and was able to get the big hit in a consequential game three.
To get his old swing back, Howard did not change anything mechanically but focused on “trusting the process” and “getting a pitch to hit.”
Howard hit his last home run prior to this series in May 2025 at the tail end of his freshman season at Western Kentucky University. That season, he recorded six home runs and a .448 slug. In his sophomore season, he became more of a consistent contact hitter and less of a power hitter; his slugging percentage dropped to .419, but his batting average and on-base percentage (.302, .419) rose from their 2025 levels (.287, .356).
With Y-D this summer, after going 1-for-3 with two strikeouts, Howard holds a .241 batting average, a .328 on-base percentage, and .315 slug.
To keep his slugging bat alive, Howard has a simple plan.
“Just keep seeing pitches and do what I can to square them up,” he said.
