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OMAHA,
Neb. — The four-year starter in the No. 1 jersey is pretty much the poster boy
for Kent State baseball and a run to the College World Series that no one
involved will ever forget.
That little guy? That's
Jimmy Rider?
Yes, that's him.
"All of 5-9 and 160 pounds," Kent State coach Scott Stricklin said.
Rider, a team captain and the Mid-American Conference's career hits leader,
epitomizes not only this Kent State team but also what it's up against Monday
in a College World Series elimination game.
In the other dugout is Florida, the national No. 1 seed and a team full of
blue-chip recruits who have lived up to their billing. Nine Gators were drafted
earlier this month in the Major League Baseball Entry Draft, including two in
each of the first two rounds.
"An offensive juggernaut," Stricklin said. "Their first four
hitters are future major leaguers."
Rider plays some major defense from his shortstop position, even if his stature
kept him from getting drafted until the 26th round. He's been good with the
bat, too: He delivered the hit that sent Kent State to Omaha in the bottom of
the ninth in the deciding game of the Super Regionals in Oregon, and his solo
home run Saturday was Kent State's only run in an 8-1 loss to Arkansas.
While most of Kent State's players tried to stay serious when being introduced
in front of almost 24,000 fans in the school's first-ever College World Series
game, Rider let out a smile. After the game, he fought back tears.
He plays shortstop like every ball hit his way has the
season at stake. He gets to most of them.
"We play the game the right way," Rider said. "We play with
passion and desire. We go out there and grind it out.
"Did I ever think I'd be practicing at a high school in Bellevue, Neb., on
a Sunday in June? No. But we earned our way here. We believe we belong here."
Rider's .362 batting average is tied for the team lead. He also leads the team
with 104 hits, 29 doubles and 67 runs scored, but his contributions go beyond
what shows up on the stat sheet. For a team that lost four players to the top
10 rounds of the draft a year ago and starts two freshmen, he's set examples on
and off the field and quietly led the way.
"He's the nicest kid in the world," Stricklin said. "He's a 3.5 (GPA)
student, and he's never, ever been invited into my office. Never. He's an
absolute coach's dream."
Stricklin said it was third-base coach Scott Daeley who first saw Rider as a
high school player in the Pittsburgh suburbs and reported to his boss that the
little guy "could really play." Soon, Stricklin paid Rider a visit of
his own.
"And Scott Daeley was right," Stricklin said.
Stricklin said Rider compares to undersized, overachieving former major leaguer
David Eckstein, and that's high praise considering Stricklin starts all of his
youth baseball camps by telling each wide-eyed camper that he should aspire to
play the game the way Eckstein played it.
He has nothing but the highest of praise for Rider, too. Stricklin said he never
yelled at Rider once during his near-flawless freshman season at second base.
When Rider moved back to shortstop in the fall of his sophomore season and took
an incorrect angle to a throw during practice, Stricklin yelled from across the
field.
And practice stopped.
"The guys couldn't believe I yelled at Rider," Stricklin said.
"I couldn't believe it, either. We all laughed."
He's not perfect, just close, and he might be down to his final college game.
But Rider and his teammates plan to keep fighting the way they have all season.
Stranger things have happened; that Kent State still is playing serves as
proof.
"It's been a blast," Rider said. "It's been a pleasure to be
here with all these guys. We have a great team. We deserve to be here. We want
to go out there against Florida, have some fun and prove ourselves one more
time."
