Baker Has Old-Fashioned Kind of Talent : 4-A baseball: Shortstop goes all out to provide offense, defense, leadership and humor for Irvine, which plays today in section title game.

Chad Baker, senior shortstop at Irvine High, hit .368 last summer. You know this because it’s written under the bill of his baseball cap--that decrepit thing he insists on wearing.

Also listed are his number of at-bats, hits, runs, doubles and triples. A quick check will reveal how well he is batting left-handed and right-handed.

The cap is weather-beaten and worn, dirty and bent out of shape, but Baker will never part with it. He wears it to school, to practice, to games.

Oh, he takes it off when he goes to sleep, but it’s right there in the morning.

“That hat is Chad Baker,” Irvine Coach Bob Flint said. “You take one look at him wearing that thing and you know he’s a player. I think deep down, he wishes it was 1898 and he was with Willie Keeler, Cy Young and the guys.”

Baker certainly looks the part, with baggy uniform, droopy socks and, of course, that cap. But this one-man Gashouse Gang plays the part, as well.

He is a big reason the Vaqueros have made it to the Southern Section 4-A championship game. They will play West Covina South Hills at Anaheim Stadium at 4:30 p.m. today.

Baker’s numbers won’t make opposing pitchers terribly nervous, but he does enough of everything to be indispensable.

He is hitting .309 and has scored 30 runs as the team’s leadoff hitter. He also anchors one of the best infields around, one that set a school record for double plays. There are intangibles, too, like constant leadership and some occasional skulduggery.

“I just try to do things to get us going,” Baker said. “I try to get on base any way I can. I try to make the big plays and turn the double play. I just do whatever it takes.”

Baker is a throwback to another age of baseball, when players wore “spikes,” not “cleats.” He wears high-top spikes and that cap rides low on his forehead.

He is also constantly chewing--gum, not tobacco--and gives a good Leo Durocher-type scowl.

On the field, he is constantly skidding across the dirt to stop ground balls--and that’s just in practice.

It’s no wonder there are gaping holes in both knees of his practice uniform.

“It’s just fun watching him play,” Flint said. “He’s a tough kid.”

Of course, even Flint had to wonder four years ago, when this short, skinny freshman came out for the team. Back then, Baker stood no taller than 5 feet 1 and weighed barely 100 pounds.

In fact, he had wrestled at 98 pounds that season.

But once Flint saw him play, he was convinced Baker could do the job. He even called Baker up to the varsity for a game as a freshman.

“I think the bubonic plague set in, or something, and we needed a second baseman bad,” Flint said. “We stuck Chad in there and he did all right.”

Said Baker: “I was scared to death. I got to bat once and struck out. I did make one good play. It was a grounder in the hole and I made this 360 turn and started a double play.”

Feats like that have been routine since Baker moved to shortstop last season. He ended Tuesday’s semifinal game against Northview by charging a slow roller, then making an off-balance throw to first for the out.

“He makes plays look so easy,” Flint said. “Then you think about it and wonder, ‘How did he do that?’ You don’t even notice some of the things he does.”

Not at first, anyway.

In a game against Mater Dei this season, Monarch catcher Darren Troilo doubled. Baker went over to congratulate him.

“Nice hit, give me five,” Baker said, while walking away.

Troilo did, momentarily stepping off the bag. A second later, he was out.

Baker had the ball hidden in his glove.

“I look up and the inning’s over,” Flint said. “I didn’t even know what happened. I don’t think Troilo did either.”

Said Baker: “It just popped into my head as something to try. I’ll take outs any way I can get them.”

It wasn’t the first time he got one with his brains.

In a game against Capistrano Valley last season, a Cougar player stole second but didn’t notice that the pitch went to the backstop.

Baker told him it was a foul ball. The runner headed back to first, where he was tagged out.

“That’s just Chad,” Flint said. “He’s always thinking out there. I’ve learned to expect anything from him.”

Baker, who is now 5-9 and a “robust” 155, solidifies the infield. He became the leadoff batter this season and has been very effective at getting on base. His on-base percentage is close to .400.

“People get hung up on numbers, but Chad comes through when we need it,” Flint said. “He finds ways to make things happen.”

In the last game of the regular season, against Capistrano Valley, Baker was on third and noticed the pitcher was taking a big windup. He stole home.

Twice during the playoffs, he has singled and scored in the first inning to give the Vaqueros an early lead.

But his biggest moment came in the second round against Riverside Arlington.

Irvine had blown a 3-0 lead, giving up three runs in the top of the seventh. Baker led off the bottom of the inning and found himself in the hole, 0-2.

“The Arlington bench was calling me all kinds of names,” Baker said. “The catcher told me, ‘You’re going down.’ ”

The next pitch was under Baker’s chin.

“He got back in there and lined the next pitch foul and then lined a single,” Flint said.

The hit started a rally that led to a run and a 4-3 Irvine victory.

Thinking back, Baker tugged on that cap and smiled.

“I was starting to let those Arlington guys get to me,” he said. “I had to get a hit. I lined that ball up the middle and made sure to point at the pitcher on my way to first.”

And that is Chad Baker.

Section Baseball: Today’s 4-A Final

At Anaheim Stadium, 4:30 p.m.

THE LINEUPS:

IRVINE (20-10) SOUTH HILLS (19-9) Name Pos. Avg. Name Pos. Avg. Chad Baker SS .309 Danny Ehler SS .376 Chris Gienke 2B .319 Jeremey Giambi P .407 Scott Seal RF .398 Pat Lodes 3B .420 Jason Minici C .372 Tray Nelson CF .299 Tommie Louie P .275 Kevin Hodgson DH .313 Ryan Jones DH .373 Randy Vickers 2B .278 Erik Sobek 1B .231 Bobby Medina 1B .315 Loc Tran CF .286 Alex Ponomaroff RF .176 Aron Garcia 3B .289 Troy Chiara C .325 Name Pos. W-L Name Pos. W-L Tommie Louie P 6-4 Jeremey Giambi P 8-2

IF IRVINE IS GOING TO WIN:

Chad Baker has been the spark during, and before, the playoffs. Behind him are good run producers in Scott Seal (seven home runs, 27 RBIs) and Jason Minici (21 RBIs). Tommie Louie isn’t the overpowering type of pitcher a coach would like to have in a championship game, but Coach Bob Flint said he’s a battler. “In the Sunny Hills game, he looked like Gunga Din out there,” Flint said. “He had a cut on his knee, a cut on his elbow, but he still went out there and stopped them.” A good performance by Louie would help, but he doesn’t have to go the distance. If Louie gets in trouble, Ryan O’Toole is available and Seal (3-0, with three saves) will be ready to close.

IF SOUTH HILLS IS GOING TO WIN:

Tray Nelson and Pat Lodes will have to continue their hot hitting. Nelson has been on base nine times in 16 at-bats during the playoffs. He has two home runs and eight RBIs in postseason play. Lodes has been on base 11 times in 16 at-bats. He has a home run and six RBIs. South Hills doesn’t have a consistent home-run hitter. Nelson and Tony Chiara each have three home runs. The Huskies, who start four juniors and a freshman, backed into the playoffs, losing five of their last eight games. “At one point in the season, we had a team batting average of .360,” Coach Jim Bastion said. “Then, all of a sudden, we quit hitting. We’ve started to get that back in the playoffs.”