Terdoslavich breaks 65-year-old record

During his junior year at Sarasota High School, Joey Terdoslavich hit 23 doubles in 32 games to set a school record. On Monday, he put his name in the record books at a higher level.

The Braves prospect broke the 65-year old Carolina League record with his 52nd double of the season as the Class A Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats wrapped up the season with a 4-3 victory over the Winston-Salem Dash.

"I've known about it for about 10 days. My teammates and the broadcasters have been talking about it," said Terdoslavich, noting that the high school record was the only other one he's held.

The Carolina League midseason All-Star made history with two outs in the first inning against Dash starter Jake Petricka.

"It was raining and dark out, but I stayed with my approach and wasn't just going for the record," Terdoslavich said. "I took the first pitch and realized how tough it was to see the ball. I knew I needed it up in the zone to see it better and I was able to put the barrel on it and hit it off the wall in left-center.

"There was a 20 percent chance I could have made it to third, but third-base coach [Bobby Moore] was on the bag holding me up, so there was no chance I was going. I was still playing to win and it would have taken a good throw to get me, but I was in scoring position anyway, so it was the right play to hold at second."

Entering the weekend, Terdoslavich had been in a slump, going six games without a double.

"Once I got the tying double [on Saturday], I started calming down," he said. "I should have had it before then, but I jogged out of the box after hitting a ball off the top of the wall and thinking it was a home run. I was tagged out before I could reach second base. After I finally tied it, I was able to relax and have fun."

The 2010 sixth-round Draft pick broke the mark set in 1946 by Durham's Woody Fair.

"When I set out this season, I wanted to have a bunch of extra-base hits and hit for a high average, but setting a record was not among my goals," said Terdoslavich, who turns 23 on Friday. "As I got closer, there was more pressure. The newspapers wrote about it and I was pressing for a few games. Then I hit the double to tie it."

Terdoslavich's uncle is former Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell, but the switch-hitting first baseman credits a different family member for teaching him to hit.

"When I was 9 months old, my dad put a bat in my hands. He's been my hitting coach ever since," he said. "My dad was in town and it meant a lot to me for him to be here to see it. Bobby gave him the ball after the inning ended."

Terdoslavich added a sacrifice fly in the seventh, producing the Hillcats' decisive run. He went 5-for-10 with two homers and seven RBIs in the season-ending three-game series.

"This put a bright spot on an up-and-down season," said Terdoslavich, who led the league with 74 extra-base hits while finishing third with a .286 batting average. He also ranked third with 20 homers and fourth with 82 RBIs.