ISU's Kido takes advantage of opportunity
May 23—It is rare for an Indiana State baseball player to jump directly into an everyday playing role.
Take Indiana State shortstop Jordan Schaffer as an example. He waited his turn, contributed as a bench player on ISU's 2019 NCAA regional team, and eventually rose to an All-MVC selection once he became ISU's everyday shortstop.
Joe Kido has had to pay similar dues waiting his turn to break into a very good ISU middle infield. Kido was unlikely to knock Schaffer or second baseman Josue Urdaneta out of the everyday lineup.
So he waited. And he worked.
Through it all, he gained the respect of his teammates and his coaches. Once his time came? He took advantage of it.
Kido entered ISU's starting lineup starting with ISU's series at Southern Illinois on May 14. In each game Kido has started, he's produced.
Kido is 9 of 16 at the the plate with six runs scored and three RBI as he's given ISU's lineup, riddled with injuries, a nice jolt in the final stretch of the season.
"I just told myself that every opportunity I get? I was going to take it. That started in practice. I wanted to do everything right and when it came to game-time? Put that to work," said the redshirt sophomore from Ellettsville.
Kido is best known to area fans as the talismanic Edgewood guard who led the Mustangs to the 2017 Wabash Valley Classic title. However, baseball was his path to college athletics.
Kido only batted three times in 2021 and had four at-bats in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. All the while? Kido continued to work.
"Ever since Joe stepped on campus, he's been a warrior. He's the easiest guy on the team to root for, by far," Schaffer said.
"Every one in that locker room wants Joe Kido to succeed with how hard he works and to transfer himself into those moments. Everyone knew he'd take his opportunity when called and he's completely ran with it," Schaffer added.
Kido's glove is solid. What he's done at the plate has been equally valuable. Kido said facing ISU's arms while he wasn't playing regularly helped him once he did get playing time.
"I've had the opportunity to see our own arms on practice days and that's how I've stayed consistent with seeing live balls. I just have to trust my eyes, trust my swing and I'm confident in my bat-to-barrel skills and I take that into the game," Kido said.
Kido can play any of the primary infield positions and has started as both second base and third base since he began starting. His versatility isn't his only asset.
"He's the epitome of a team guy. You see that in his play. If we need a bunt, or a hit-and-run. If we need him at second or at third or wherever we need to put him, he's a glue guy," ISU coach Mitch Hannahs said.
"Those guys are invaluable. He's a just a pleasure to watch work and how he goes about his business and what he brings to our team. Our players love him and root for him hard. He's definitively been a spark for us lately," Hannahs said.
ISU needs the spark. The Sycamores will need to overcome huge odds to emerge from the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament starting on Tuesday.
ISU, the No. 5 seed, has to survive a win-or-go-home game at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday against No. 8-seeded Valparaiso.
If ISU wins, it then advances into the double-elimination part of the bracket, where big slugging Southern Illinois awaits.
The play-in means ISU will need use to ace pitcher Matt Jachec against Valparaiso, giving the Sycamores a disadvantage against the full strength Salukis.
After that? It's the usual tournament marathon grind where pitching runs short if a team doesn't maintain winning ways.
ISU had lost four MVC series in a row until it won its final conference series ever against Dallas Baptist. (DBU is leaving for Conference USA in 2023.)
Though Saturday's 2-2 tie was a buzzkill, ISU had two runners on-base with one out in the bottom of the 10th when the game was called due to lightning, the Sycamores went 2-0-1 and gave themselves a beachhead in which to tackle the MVC Tournament.
"I really like the way they handled the weekend. I didn't know what to expect. We had good practices during the week leading up to it. I felt like we were in a good place and then [DBU] put that five-slot on the board [on Thursday, before ISU scored 10 without response] and I wondered what we did in practice all week?" Hannahs said.
"But when their backs were against the wall, they responded, and that was encouraging."
The series against DBU, ISU had to sweep to have a chance to escape the play-in game, and came oh so close to doing so, was effectively a primer for the MVC Tournament. ISU doesn't have a resume to get an at-large bid, so it's tournament or bust in 2022.
"We knew these three games this weekend were an extended conference tournament. We've played with our backs against the wall before, it's not going to be something new," Schaffer said.
As ever, pitching is the challenge. Jachec (3.13) will pitch against Valparaiso, but he won't be stretched.
"We have to take a few chances with our pitching early on. We've got to minimize pitch counts a little bit so Matt can come back in the tournament," Hannahs explained.
"You can't go in to win one game. We're in a position where we've got to win the tournament to play on, so we have to be smart on how we organize our pitching," Hannahs continued. "I think we have to minimize [Jachec] and go one, one, one, one with some bullpen guys to try and stay as fresh as we can those first few days and then bring [Jachec] back in day four."
ISU has won or made it to the championship game of the MVC Tournament in its last two appearances.
MVC Tournament
All games at Missouri State
Tuesday (single-elimination play-in)
Game 1 — No. 6 Missouri State vs. No. 7 Illinois State, 2:30 p.m.
Game 2 — No. 5 Indiana State vs. No. 8 Valparaiso, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday (double-elimination begins)
Game 3 — No. 1 Southern Illinois vs. ISU-Valparaiso winner, Noon.
Game 4 — No. 2 Evansville vs. MSU-Illinois State winner, 4 p.m.
Game 5 — No. 3 Dallas Baptist vs. No. 4 Bradley, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Game 6 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, Noon
Game 7 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 loser, 3 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 8 p.m.
Friday
Game 9 — TBA, 11 a.m.
Game 10 — TBA, 4 p.m.
Game 11 — TBA, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 4 p.m. & 8 p.m.*
* If necessary
