Keeping It Light
3/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 25, 2004
By Jay Reddick
When you're hitting .310 and fielding .930 at shortstop, consistent play is a very good thing. But when the numbers progress to another level - like .450 and .980 - it's spectacular.
That's just about what Ben Ingold has done for the Wake Forest baseball team this season through 17 games.
What's his secret? Depending on who you ask, it's some combination of maturity, patience and PlayStation 2.
Ingold has always been known as a steady player. The junior has been the Deacons' starting shortstop since he set foot on campus and played well enough in 2002 to earn Freshman All-America mention from Baseball America. He hit .317 that year, followed that up with a .305 batting average last season and fielded about 93 out of every 100 chances cleanly.
This season, though, he's pushing for bigger honors. Through games of March 17, Ingold was leading the Deacons with a .451 average and 19 RBIs. He's also made only two errors in his first 100 chances.
"The big thing for Ben is that he competes," WFU assistant coach Jamie Mabe said. "He plays hard for every pitch, for every game, and for every practice. He's got a little more power, a little more patience at the plate, and that has allowed him to use the whole field as a hitter."
Ingold says, with only a little laughter, that he learned to be more patient at the plate by playing "MLB 2004" on his Sony video-game system.
"I've been swinging against major-league pitching all year," Ingold said. "I've learned that if I get a good hitter's pitch, I'll hit for a higher average."
A funny line from Ingold is certainly not out of character. Remember the coach in the film "Bull Durham," cracking up a meeting at the mound by quipping, "Candlesticks always make a nice gift"? That job - keeping players loose at the most stressful times -- usually falls to Ingold.
"He doesn't show tenseness," Mabe said. "He takes things seriously, but he says the funny thing at the right time. He's an intelligent kid, and very clever."
Ingold gets plenty of laughs through zany antics -- his favorite recent trick was "antiquing" a friend napping at his house by throwing flour on his head and shoulders -- but rest assured, there's a method to the madness.
"I think it's definitely important to keep things in perspective," Ingold said. "Baseball is a funny sport, and you can't get too high or too low."
Ingold's sense of timing is usually impeccable, in everything from his throws to his jokes to his choice of sports. He played both soccer and baseball for two years at Riverside High School in Durham, but a coach told him to choose one sport to focus on. He said he was probably better at soccer, but really, there was no choice.
"Baseball is my love and my passion," Ingold said. "It wasn't a tough decision."
He proved that over the next two years, earning all-state and team MVP honors as a senior before coming west to Winston-Salem.
Since joining WFU, he's been known as a defensive player who could hit a little, but he's quietly been adding some facets to his game. For example, he was 6-for-6 on stolen-base attempts this season through March 17, after trying to steal only seven times in his first two years.
Ingold's improvement hasn't translated into team success so far this season, as a 10-7 record to open the year isn't where they wanted to be. Ingold said it's much too early to worry about records.
"We don't have as many returning starters this year as we have in years past," Ingold said. "When our guys get some more experience, we'll be fine. When the ACC gets going good, we'll be ready."