Indianapolis Indians celebrate Lexie Hull night as Fever wing throws out first pitch
Hull was a popular figure at Victory Field Thursday night.
INDIANAPOLIS – Lexie Hull needed to practice.
No, not basketball – though she has done that the past two days as the Indiana Fever are back home ahead of their final game before the FIBA break. Rather, Hull needed to practice pitching a baseball.
The Fever forward was at Victory Field on Thursday night to throw out the first pitch for Lexie Hull Night. The Indianapolis Indians took on the Columbus Clippers with Hull being a part of the game's theme.
"I've been asking Will [Matthiessen] (Hull's fiancé) to practice with me in the backyard, and... I've been gone, so we haven't really practiced. Last night at like 9:30, we practiced in the dark," Hull said Thursday of her preparations for the first pitch. "I think I threw like five to him and they got worse progressively. So I think I just shouldn't have practiced altogether. So we'll see how it goes."
Tony East
Matthiessen played baseball collegiately and was drafted into the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He reached as high as the AA level in both 2022 and 2023. His key role this week was helping Hull get the ball to the plate with accuracy.
"He has a catcher's mitt and a first baseman's glove," Hull said of his specific aide.
Hull made it clear she wouldn't wimp out and throw some shorter first pitch from in close. This was going to be legit – from the pitcher's mound, all the way to the catcher. That's not easy for someone without constant practice.
With about 13 minutes until Indians vs Clippers was set to begin, Hull walked out on the field and heard some cheers from the crowd. Fans were still filing in, but many of the ones already in the ballpark were wearing Fever gear and Hull jerseys.
She stood on the mound, stepped into the pitch, and tossed it across home plate. No bounces, and not very far outside.
Matthiessen was watching from behind the third base dugout. He smiled and fist pumped. Hull hoped the pitch would get to the catcher one way or another, and she was successful.
That first pitch was the central moment of Lexie Hull night. But it was far from the only activity. A significant portion of Hull's evening featured autograph signings, which came in two sessions.
Starting at 5:30, Hull sat just outside of the center field grass seating for about 40 minutes. Beyond providing her signature, she chatted with each fan for a few moments and took selfies with several.
She took a break to throw out the first pitch and chat with teammate Michelle Onyiah, who was at Victory Field for the second time in a week.
Hull returned to the outfield and signed autographs until the second inning ended. She then joined Onyiah and some Fever staffers up in a suite to enjoy the rest of the game.
Between innings, the jumbotron at Victory Field hosted a miniature game of Lexie Hull trivia, which featured questions about where she was born, where she attended college, and various other biographical details. The Indians won 6-5 in a back-and-forth game for their fourth victory in a row.
And on the basketball court...
I wrote this story about Hull and her recent on-court play last weekend. She had a 14-point game on 6/8 shooting right after, but I think it still holds up concerning her performance of late.
It's a tradeoff for her and the team. The All-Stars should shoot the ball. Hull should defend. But there's a level of non-involvement that ends up being a detriment, and the Fever are still figuring that balance out.
Hull was a key part of the Fever's postseason run last year. She knows what the playoffs require. She's also been in the WNBA during World Cup and Olympic breaks, which takes a certain level of individual focus.
"It's a chance to work on things individually but also collectively," she said of the FIBA break, which stats tomorrow. "We'll have most of our team here outside of [Aliyah Boston] and Caitlin (Clark) and (head coach) Steph [White], but it's a chance for us to get better."
Hull is averaging 5.3 points per game this season. You can watch her most recent media availability, featuring basketball and baseball talk, below.
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