Led by Kirby, Lumberjacks running wild on basepaths

Outfielder leads league in steals

A six-game Southland Conference winning streak has given the SFA Lumberjacks baseball team hope, as far as advancing to the eight-team league tournament in two weeks.

Junior outfielder Kai Kirby wants to be the player who makes sure the Lumberjacks keep their momentum going into the final six games of the league, starting with this weekend's home series against Texas-Arlington.

Kirby has put his speed to good use in helping the Lumberjacks get hot and get back into the thick of the SLC post-season chase.

The transfer from Seward County (Oklahoma) Junior College already has set a single-season record for steals with 23.

He needs only a handful of steals the rest of the season and next year in his senior campaign to become the school's all-time career leader.

Kirby, a 6-0, 185-pounder who is hitting .300, takes stealing bases to the extreme.

He has stolen home twice, a feat rarely seen on the diamond lately, especially with runs being scored in abundance by big hitters with aluminum bats.

Major league great Jackie Robinson did it.

Kirby does, too.

"To me, the more adrenaline I have, the better I play," he said. "It's an incredible adrenaline rush.

"I think it's the most exciting play in baseball."

Not to mention, daring and dangerous.

The peril of stealing home is running full speed toward home plate while a pitch is being thrown to the plate. The biggest risk is a line drive down the third-base line. A lesser risk is a collision with the catcher.

Kirby said the hitters behind him understand that he may be running from third base. He is confident they will adjust their swings to hit the ball the other way.

What is Kirby's secret to stealing home?

"I try to get a walking lead and just see when the pitcher lifts his foot and starts to rock," he said. "Then, I duck my head and run."

Kirby has always been able to run, an asset he said he likely got from his father, who also played baseball.

"Genes, I guess," he said.

Kirby runs the 60-yard dash — baseball's distance for judging speed — in 6.5 seconds.

SFA coach Donnie Watson said good speed for a major league player is 6.8 to 6.9.

The Lumberjacks have used their speed, along with other aspects of the game, to string together wins that have them at 22-25 overall and 9-14 in the league standings going into today's series opener with UTA (21-27, 12-12).

SFA's 82 steals rank second in the 12-team SLC to Northwestern State (95).

Three Lumberjacks — Kirby, Kevin Crabtree and Jeff Brewer — are among the league's Top 5 in steals.

Crabtree has 18, and Brewer has 17.

Kirby brings much more to the table than speed.

He is tied for fifth on the team in RBIs (26), is third in runs scored (36) and is one of the league's better defensive outfielders, largely because of his speed and throwing ability. He has thrown out seven baserunners from the outfield.

But lately, it's been his daring base-running that has given the Lumberjacks a spark.

"As a coach, you don't want to bridle speed," Watson said. "You want to continue to say 'go.'"