OMAHA, NE — Ben King is one of the best hitters ever against Stanford.
So it likely pleases the Cardinal to see him in the first base
coaching box for Texas instead of the batter's box at the College
World Series.
The Longhorns outfielder has been sidelined this season with an elbow
injury that required "Tommy John'' reconstructive surgery.
While playing last year in the NCAA regionals at Stanford, King hit
.412 to earn co-MVP honors. Three of the games were against Stanford,
who beat the Longhorns and went on to finish second in the 2001
College World Series.
King, out of Grapeville, Texas, started his college career at Alabama.
As a freshman for the Crimson Tide he hit .364 with two homers and 10
RBI when Alabama played at the Stanford regional in 2000. He
transferred to Texas for his sophomore season but his ownership of
Stanford pitching continued.
"It seems whenever I went out to Sunken Diamond I did real well,''
King said. "I don't know why, other than Stanford is a highly talented
team and if you're competitive, you always want to bring your 'A' game
against a big team. I always felt they were one of the best teams in
the country and I wanted to play 100 percent. Luckily, I've done well
against them.''
Helping Texas at the CWS from the coaching box is hard on King. His
desire to be playing, he said, has made him almost ill.
"It's one of the hardest things I've ever experienced in my life,'' he
said. "But it's also one of the greatest experiences in my life. I get
to be out here with a bunch of guys I love, at the College World
Series and not many players get to do that.''
King keeps in the game with his coaching duties, however.
"I'm not playing but I'm still a part of it. This wasn't my year,'' he
said. "Maybe next year is my year.''
Know the foe
In a pre-College World Series questionnaire, Clemson pitcher Steve
Reba listed Steve Thomas of South Carolina as the opposing hitter he
least likes to face.
Reba apparently knows how tough an out Thomas has been for him. On
Wednesday night, Thomas led off the second inning with a single and
led off the sixth inning with his 13th home run. Both hits came off
Reba, who was chased from the game by the homer and fell to 13-4.
Special fans
About 300 special fans are getting a chance to see the College World
Series this year, thanks to the YMCA, IBM and MSI Systems Integrators.
The corporate sponsors kicked in about $10,000 for tickets, T-shirts,
food and special prizes for the 300 adolescents from Omaha area YMCA
branches and Girls and Boys Town to watch the games.
IBM started the practice 16 years ago through five junior high
schools. The YMCA and MSI joined the effort later.
In most cases, the children selected to attend the games are being
rewarded for participation in various YMCA programs.
Copyright 2002
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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