By Jose Trujillo (@jAy_Ay_T):
One pitch. Two outs.
Double play!
Alongside being one of the most exciting plays in baseball, turning two is key to any team that looks to be strong in pitching and defense.
“It’s definitely one of the most important plays in baseball,” said San Jose State interim head coach Brad Sanfilippo. “If you’re going to play defense and you’re going to pitch, you better be able to turn a double play.”
After winning 19 games last season, the Spartans are 12-19 through 31 games. With 21 games left, they will have a great opportunity to eclipse last year’s win total.
One reason is their improved play on defense.
SJSU ranks third in the nation in double plays turned per game with 1.23, and fourth in the nation in total double plays with 38.
“It’s the first thing we do [at practice]” Sanfilippo said. “We spend probably more time turning two than going regular one.”
Last year, SJSU turned 54 double plays all season. Mountain West rival Fresno State, who the Spartans face this coming weekend, led the nation with 73 and have 31 this year.
The beauty of turning two is that it provides a defensive spark and excites the crowd, which can turn into momentum on offense.
Turning two requires much repetition, chemistry and trust within fellow infielders.
One reason the Spartans have executed so many double plays is their middle-infield duo of senior second basemen Kyle Morrison and junior shortstop Aaron Pleschner.
“A lot of it has to do with being comfortable with each other,” Morrison said. “I have complete trust in him that he is going to make the play, so I just got to do my job and get to the bag and finish the play for him.”
Experience and trust shared by Morrison and Pleschner was built through several years as Spartans.
“My freshman year, we were both shortstops,” Pleschner said. “We worked everyday together. I learned a lot from him, he learned alot from me, [we] just growed off each other.”
The chemistry Pleschner and Morrison share is unmeasurable. Knowing where your teammate prefers to receive the ball, or where he stands on the bag or understanding how quick he is can be the difference between safe and out.
“Chemistry is really important,” Sanfilippo said. “You get used to where feeds are, where balls come out, you get a communication in the middle. That is important to be a good double-play combination.”
Even at a pace to turn over 60 double plays this season, Sanfilippo feels the team can improve.
“We could still be better,” Sanfilippo said. “If we are at 38, I think we blew three of them, because as coaches would do, we were counting all the ones we feel like we’ve missed.”
As Sanfilippo continues to count the missed double-play opportunities, the rest of us will stay focused on how many times the Spartans will turn two this season.