Jun 21, 2008

Leadoff hitter steps up

Stanford's Phelps makes great strides, and his team follows his lead all the way to the College World Series

By John Reid / Daily News Staff Writer

OMAHA, Neb. - Stanford second baseman Cord Phelps has seen his offensive numbers blossom this season, which is one reason Stanford is in the College World Series.

The Cardinal is in a must-win game against Georgia today at Rosenblatt Stadium at 11 a.m. Stanford must beat the Bulldogs twice to reach the championship series. A Stanford win today would set up a Bracket One showdown game Sunday.

"We can beat Georgia, but we have to concentrate on one game at a time," Phelps said. "We've done it before. Georgia is a great team. Hopefully, we can come out on top."

Phelps is making a bid for the CWS all-tournament team, batting 5-for-12 with four RBIs and five runs scored. In Wednesday's 8-3 win over Miami, Phelps fell a home run short of the cycle when he flied out to right field in the seventh inning. Phelps' two-run triple to center field in Stanford's four-run fifth inning helped provide some breathing room for the Cardinal. He had doubled and scored in the third inning and singled in the first. Only one player has hit for the cycle in a CWS game: Minnesota's Jerry Kindall back in 1956. Kindall, also a second baseman, went on to play professionally before he coached the University of Arizona to three national baseball titles.

"I didn't try to change my approach at all in my last at-bat," the 6-2, 200-pound Phelps said. "I was just trying to get the barrel of the bat on the ball and put it in play somewhere."



Banner season

Phelps was named to the all-Stanford Regional team after batting 9-for-21 with two homers, two doubles, four RBIs and eight runs scored. For the season, he is batting .350 with 13 homers, 16 doubles and 57 RBIs. The quintessential leadoff man, Phelps has drawn 40 walks and been hit by a pitch five times. He's 6-for-10 in stolen base attempts. His 75 runs scored this season is eight behind Stanford's single-season record-holder Sam Fuld (2003).

"Phelps has had a fabulous year for us," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. "Offense, defense, he's been great for us. He has been our most consistent player this year from Day One. He can do everything."

Phelps went 0-for-3 with a walk in Stanford's heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Georgia in a CWS game Monday. But Phelps' overall play in Omaha has caught the attention of Georgia coach David Perno.

"Man, I love that kid," Perno said of Phelps. "He's a really good player. ... He understands the game. He has great at-bats and is a tough out."

Phelps was waiting on deck when pinch-hitter Colin Walsh bounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game against Georgia.

"I wanted one more at-bat," Phelps said. "We want to bring as many guys to the plate as possible. It was unfortunate, but that's the game of baseball."



Stanford-born

Phelps was born in Stanford Hospital and attended Pinewood Elementary School in Los Altos Hills. He played in the Alpine Little League in Portola Valley with several players who went on to play Division I college baseball, such as Andy Suiter (Menlo School, UCLA, UC-Davis), Dominic DiRicco (Menlo-Atherton High, Cornell), Nathan Ford (Palo Alto High, Cornell) and Kyle Spraker (St. Francis High, Cal).

Phelps moved to Santa Barbara when he was in the sixth grade, eventually attending Santa Barbara High. So, in essence, Phelps has come full circle, playing for the Cardinal.

"We played more as a team this year and we're having a little bit of success," Phelps said. "It has been going well."

Phelps hit .301 last year after batting .196 as a freshman. He failed to hit a home run his first two seasons at Stanford, but hit two against Nebraska in the first game of this season.

"Last year, I fought a stress reaction in my back," Phelps said. "It's good to be healthy. The experience of seeing more D-I pitching is always helpful to improve as a hitter. You work really hard to try to improve your game. It's rewarding to see results like this. It has been a fun year."

Added Marquess: "It was just a matter of Cord being healthy. His back was bothering him all year last year. Last year we moved him around. We had him at second, short and third. We left him at second, and he settled in."

Phelps is a switch-hitter, which really makes him valuable in Marquess' lineup.

"I started switch-hitting right after Little League," Phelps said. "I had always been experimenting with switch-hitting. I feel more comfortable on the left side of the plate because I see a lot of right-handed pitching."

Being a switch-hitter could help Phelps get on the fast track to the major leagues. He was a third-round selection by the Cleveland Indians in the recent MLB draft.

Meanwhile, Phelps will never forget his experience at the CWS, something that not every collegiate player gets to experience. And the Cardinal isn't done yet.

"Playing in the CWS is unbelievable," Phelps said. "Every college player wants to make it here. You never forget something like this."



E-mail John Reid at

jreid@dailynewsgroup.com.