Don't Sleep on the Anteater

CORPUS CHRISTI - Six years have passed since Ben Orloff first impacted the South Texas baseball scene.

On June 4, 2007, the sophomore shortstop and his UC Irvine teammates upended No. 5 Texas 9-6 in an NCAA Regional Final at Round Rock, derailing the Longhorns' hopes of a seventh national championship.

What few knew at the time was Texas officials had met behind the scenes with executives from the Corpus Christi Hooks and Ryan-Sanders Baseball to set up a potential Super Regional at Whataburger Field. With the Express home, Disch-Falk Field under renovation and a large UT contingent in the Coastal Bend, 734 East Port Avenue made good sense.

That next-step possibility evaporated in the 90-degree heat of The Dell Diamond as the Anteaters advanced to meet Wichita State in the supers. All UC Irvine did there was take two low-scoring one-run decisions and punch its ticket to Omaha.

At the mecca of college baseball, Rosenblatt Stadium, the Anteaters went 2-2, becoming the first team in College World Series history to win extra-inning games on consecutive days. They bounced Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State before losing to defending and eventual national champion Oregon State.

And two seasons later, Orloff, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior, earned Big West Conference player-of-the-year honors and captured the Brooks Wallace Award, conferred annually on college baseball's top shortstop.

He played with talented teammates at Irvine. Eight of them from the 2007 club were drafted. But, success came rather quickly to Anteaters Baseball after the program's reinstatement in 2002. John Savage, now the UCLA coach, brought the team out of a nine-year hiatus. Then came Dave Serrano, now the skipper at Tennessee, and Mike Gillespie. Since the breakout of '07, UC Irvine has qualified for the NCAA playoffs every year. In '09, the Anteaters were the top team in the land for six consecutive weeks.

And Orloff was there as the tide turned. He was there when the college baseball world learned it was an unwise practice to sleep on the Anteaters.

These days, no one is sleeping on Orloff and the Hooks, who own the Texas League's best mark at 29-19.

Though he's gained a whopping four pounds since college, the utility infielder plays big.

"I enjoy the competition," Orloff said. "I enjoy seven o'clock. It's a chance to be in the batter's box and beat the guy in front of you."

Orloff owns a .282 average in 34 games. He's the toughest Texas Leaguer to strike out: the rate is one in every 21.7 plate appearances. He's played all over, with five starts at first, 12 at second, eight at shortstop and six at the hot corner. Orloff, third baseman Jonathan Meyer, shortstop Jiovanni Mier, second baseman Enrique Hernandez and first baseman Erik Castro have paced the Hooks to a .975 fielding percentage and 53 double plays.

Corpus Christi has been blessed through the years with outstanding infielders, but the 2013 unit seems to be the most adept at making difficult plays look easy.

"It's taken a lot of work," Orloff reflected of his diamond versatility. "I played shortstop all through my amateur career. I started playing second base in pro ball. I played third base for the first time in 2010. This year's my first time to play first base and I need to get work in there.

"I don't get enough time to practice all four. So, I pick one for the day and focus on that."

Shortstop is his favorite, second base the least favorite. He certainly plays "big" at first and third.

"I enjoy playing the corners," Orloff stated. "It's fun, new and exciting to learn on the fly."

He hasn't had to review one basic baseball tenet.

"Pitching and defense win championships. We have that here. The piggyback pitching system has worked well for us and we catch it well behind them. We're in every game."

It's evident talent in the Houston farm system is deeper and wider than it was a few years ago as general manager Jeff Luhnow's player development plan unfolds. In Corpus Christi, the Hooks' clubhouse culture under Keith Bodie is built on accountability and transparency.

That's what you get with Orloff. Genuineness. He takes time for teammates, fans and the front-office staff. He'll call you by name even if you're a passing acquaintance, because he's a people person. Incidentally, he's rarely tethered to a device.

"I've always liked people, talking with them and hanging out. I enjoy the people here at the ballpark and getting to know them."

Orloff admits he's somewhat of a throwback. A voracious reader who's currently into four books, he studies the Bible and enjoys watching sermons on YouTube.

"I've still got a flip phone. I'm not a huge social media guy or into that type of deal."

He's a Californian concerned about climate change and the environment. Team climate. Team environment. Orloff was a high school junior on a championship team that played in Dodger Stadium. That experience helped plant the seeds of a Division I career. He was an Anteater when UC Irvine learned how to win big… and more. He was a Hook in 2012 as Corpus Christi won the Texas League South second-half title and made its first postseason appearance in six years.

He's ready for the next challenge in a baseball life that began at age 3 with a tennis ball and garage door.

"I'm really not that exciting," Orloff mused.

Perhaps not. But his transparency and authenticity attract people. That's leadership, whether you're in the lineup every night or not.

And you better not sleep on it. People like Ben Orloff make an impact whether they realize it or not.