Ground Cover

Brian Fatur would be perfect for The King and His Court.

You know, the four-man softball traveling troupe led by legendary pitcher Eddie Feigner, a.k.a. The King.

Fatur, the fleet-footed and sure-handed center fielder at Moorpark College, could be the sole outfielder behind Feigner, owner of a mind-boggling 930 no-hitters in a 54-year barnstorming show.

“He covers more ground than any outfielder in the [Western State] conference,” Coach Don Adams of Ventura said of Fatur. “He’s got a great arm also.”

Fatur, a 5-foot-11 sophomore from Calabasas High, is not just a defensive-minded guy appreciated by Raider pitchers and coaches. He is Moorpark’s offensive spark.

A leadoff batter since high school, Fatur is batting .432, fourth-highest in WSC play. He has 12 doubles, three triples and 24 runs batted in, all signs that a one-year layoff because of academic problems did not hamper his game.

“He didn’t miss a step,” Coach Ken Wagner of Moorpark said. “He’s got great baseball instincts. He very seldom makes a mistake.”

Except, perhaps, when it came to staying eligible last year.

Fatur failed two classes, which left him without enough units to be eligible, and wound up watching from the stands instead of building on an outstanding freshman season in which he batted a team-leading .386 in WSC play and was selected all-conference at shortstop.

“I was really looking forward to playing,” Fatur said. “But I didn’t get it done in the classroom.”

He is getting it done this season in the outfield, but like two years ago, Fatur is finishing at shortstop because of injuries. This time he is replacing Ryan Martinez, a freshman from Channel Islands who suffered a season-ending back injury.

“Two years ago, we lost like two or three shortstops, so I ended up at shortstop,” Fatur said. “I don’t mind it. It’s fun. I get a lot more balls in the infield.

“But if I had to pick between short and center, I’d pick center. I like showing off my speed.”

It took a while for Fatur to showcase his baseball skills at Calabasas.

Fatur played junior golf and joined the Calabasas team as a freshman, hoping to also play baseball, his other main sport growing up. But the golf coach balked at the two-sport idea and Fatur skipped baseball. Until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I missed baseball too much,” Fatur said. “I quit golf so I could go back to baseball.”

He was the varsity center fielder as a sophomore and had seven hits in 14 at-bats, but was replaced routinely by a designated hitter because the Coyotes were loaded with hitters.

Fatur took off, batting a team-high .453 as a junior and stealing 36 bases, best in the region.

But that was just a warm-up for his senior season, when Fatur batted .529 with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs and 38 stolen bases, again tops in the region. He was Pacific League co-most valuable player and a Times’ All-Valley selection.

The most unexpected part was the power surge, since Fatur had hit two home runs in the previous two years.

“That was luck, a fluke,” Fatur said. “That whole year I think I had only one game I didn’t have a hit. I was seeing the ball real well that whole year.”

Fatur, a line-drive hitter, has five career home runs at Moorpark. Then again, his mission with the Raiders is to get on base to ignite the offense, a role not suited for everyone but tailor-made for Fatur.

“I just feel comfortable batting leadoff,” Fatur said. “A lot of guys don’t like it because they want to see the pitcher throw to a couple of batters before they hit. But I like it. I get the most at-bats of anybody.”

He hopes to get plenty more next year at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, a perennial NAIA power.

Fatur said he plans to sign with the Warriors in the next few days.

“They’re a top team and they’re losing their center fielder and shortstop, so it’ll be a great spot to go,” Fatur said.

As far as Ventura’s Adams is concerned, the sooner Fatur leaves the better.

“I think he’s batting like .800 in two years against us,” Adams said. “I’ll be glad to see him go.”