Shane Minks pounced off the mound for a slow grounder on the third-base side of the infield. With no outs and runners on first and second, the play for Minks was to throw to third.
But third baseman Jordan Chambless had vacated his position to field the ball, too.
Without missing a beat, Minks fired to second for the force. The junior pitcher's alertness is exactly what Texas A&M baseball coach Rob Childress is looking for when the Aggies split into teams for their annual Fall World Series.
It's also the kind of effort that has to make Childress wish he could go from fall ball straight into the 2009 regular season. Home runs are nice, and there were plenty of them in the five-game series, but good baseball and the willingness to compete is what Childress covets most.
He got both when the Farmers won the series 3-2 over the Plowman last week.
In watching a majority of the series, I couldn't remember whether the maroon team was the Farmers or the Plowman, nor did I care. The same could not be said about the players. They were playing it as if it were the real World Series (they even had a postponement, pushing the finish of Game 4 back a night when, in the bottom of the seventh, class took precedence over baseball, a decision not debated like MLB commissioner Bug Selig's Game 5 call).
In all five games, the winner had to come from behind. And whether a team had a pitcher forced to play third base or right field, neither was giving into the other. With the coaches leaving everything -- coaching the bases, making pitching decisions, calling hit-and-runs, etc. -- to the players, there was much more invested in winning.
Players wondered out loud and questioned others in certain situations, such as why a runner wasn't sent home on a ground ball.
The winning Farmers finished with a pitcher at third, a shortstop at second because of a bad shoulder, a pitcher in the outfield and another at designated hitter. Brooks Raley and newcomer Ross Hales filled those last two positions admirably.
Not all was good baseball. A botched rundown on a ball hit back to a pitcher and a poorly played ninth inning in the finale gave Childress plenty to point to in upcoming workouts.
Nine different Aggies hit homers, including two by Luke Anders, who for good measure was also hit by a pitch -- he was plunked 21 times last season. Veteran center fielder Kyle Colligan's shot may have been the most impressive, clearing the big scoreboard in left. Backup outfielder Randall Thorpe's homer was the most surprising as the speedster just cleared the left-field fence for his first homer at Olsen.
Childress had to leave the finale happy about his catching situation. Kevin Gonzalez and newcomer Joe Patterson each homered and combined for nine hits. Gonzalez took the job last season because of his defense, and he obviously has not neglected that aspect. Third-string catcher Andrew Nettune got into the act with a homer and four RBIs in Game 1 as a designated hitter.
Nick Fleece showed he's ready to step up in the middle of the lineup, proving his monstrous homer at last season's Big 12 tournament was no fluke.
The Aggies have holes to fill, but there are candidates at those spots. Anders' brother Nick can play second or third. Adam Smith showed off a strong arm at shortstop and some pop at the plate, and outfielders Brett Parsons and Dylan Petrich have promise with the bat.
But the 2009 season will be about pitching for the Aggies, and the only real disappointment there was last season's Saturday starter Barrett Loux's being shut down because of a tired arm. He was relegated to disc jockey status in the press box during the fall series.
Raley, Clayton Ehlert, Kyle Thebeau and Travis Starling all appear ready after their strong 2008 seasons. Thebeau was especially sharp, while Raley overpowered the Plowboys in the finale after a rough middle inning in the opener. Raley also was a star at the plate and on the basepaths. Plan on seeing him more on days he doesn't start on the mound.
Minks did more than field his position and appears to be ready to pitch in the late innings with his new sidearm delivery.
The Plowboys even tried to get in his head late in one of his four games by turning around and batting from the left side against the big right-hander. It worked momentarily when Minks began just missing the strike zone. But he soon found the plate and was nearly unhittable. Overall, he gave up one hit in 5 1/3 innings.
Freshman Denny Clement could be the answer to A&M's middle relief. The right-hander pitched at least an inning in four of the games and only gave up one earned run. Fleece, who did not pitch last season, may have been the most pleasant surprise of the fall and also looks ready to help fill in as a middle reliever.
Hales is bidding for innings as a left-hander, which the Aggies are short on, and Chad Sherman pitched well in his start. Add Alex Wilson, who was the 11th pick for the Chicago Cubs in the latest MLB draft, and Scott Migl and the former pitching coach Childress has his best staff since his arrival in Aggieland in 2006. It's definitely the deepest, which gives the Aggies an opportunity to improve on their 46-19 mark and Super Regional appearance last season.
Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.
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