Ginter Plays Versatile Gig to the Hilt

The later it gets in a baseball game, the busier Keith Ginter gets.

Most players only have to worry about hitting and playing in the field, but Ginter, who plays second base for Cypress, is also his team’s top late-inning reliever.

Ginter’s multiple roles have created some odd sights at games this season.

Sometimes, Ginter has to rush to the bullpen to warm up while his teammates are hitting.

If his spot in the order is close to coming up, Ginter has to warm up in front of the dugout between innings.

Ginter also has warmed up while his teammates take grounders between innings.

“Sometimes I’m more tired from running back and fourth,” Ginter said. “After games, I have to ice my arm sometimes and I didn’t even pitch [in the game].”

Ginter came to Cypress from Fullerton High, where he played four years on varsity and hit an Orange County-record 28 career home runs.

He began at Fullerton as an outfielder but switched to third base and shortstop as a sophomore and also pitched at times.

Ginter said he was offered a chance to walk-on at Cal State Fullerton but elected to attend Cypress College last season. He hit .280 with 11 doubles, two home runs and drove in 27 runs in 1995.

His home run output was much lower than expected, but as Cypress Coach Scott Pickler pointed out, “The ballparks are bigger and the pitching is better on this level.”

Said Ginter: “I never really tried to hit home runs in high school. I just tried to hit the ball hard.”

This season Ginter was moved to second base, which Pickler said is the position at which he has the best future.

His pitching duties this spring came about mostly to fill a void.

Pickler said he kept hoping a closer would emerge but when one didn’t, he gave Ginter a try in the final fall practice game. He entered with the bases loaded and gave up a triple. But Ginter struck out the next two batters and has continued to improve under the watch of pitching coach Bill Pinkham.

He is 5-2 with four saves and an earned-run average of 2.40 for Cypress, which is in first place in the Orange Empire Conference.

Ginter is also hitting .361 with nine doubles, two home runs and 19 runs batted in. He is also 10 of 11 in stolen base tries.

“He’s a very tough kid, as tough as I’ve ever coached,” Pickler said. “Nothing really bothers him. He’s got that closer’s mentality.”

Ginter displays his toughness in several ways, one of which is his refusal to duck away from inside pitches. He is more than willing to take one for the team and has been hit a team-high 15 times this season.

“He won’t give in an inch,” Pickler said. “He won’t budge.”

Ginter’s knack for staying still met a much greater test than a pitched ball last December.

In the fall, he took a recruiting trip to Texas Tech and in December was offered a scholarship--if he came right away.

Ginter was stunned by the unexpected opportunity and took a couple of days to digest it, but finally decided he couldn’t accept it. He said part of the reason was because he didn’t want anybody who has already been with the Texas Tech program to resent him.

Texas Tech later offered him another scholarship for the following season and he agreed.

“I told my dad it was the hardest decision I ever had to make,” Ginter said. “The offer I turned down was better than the one I accepted. I just couldn’t get myself to say ‘yes.’ I just have some unfinished business here.”

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The race: Cypress (27-9, 12-4) has a two-game lead over Saddleback (21-10-1, 10-6) and Rancho Santiago (26-8, 10-6) with eight games left.

Cypress and Saddleback start a home and home series at 2:30 p.m. today at Saddleback. The teams play at the same time Thursday.

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The Orange Empire men’s and women’s singles and doubles tennis championships start today and the continue Thursday, Friday and conclude Saturday. Play starts at 1 p.m. today at Orange Coast for the women and at the same time at Old Ranch Country Club for the men.

The singles final is at 9:30 a.m. and the doubles final follows at Saturday.