Leaps and bounds

Freshman second baseman Evan Crawford stands near the IU dugout at Sembower Field. \nThe public address announcer goes around the horn, introducing the Hoosiers in the starting lineup. Crawford hears his name, works his way through a gauntlet of high fives from teammates, then jogs around third into shallow left field.\nHe nears the middle of the infield, cartwheels and back flips, landing smoothly and softly behind second base. \nThe pregame flip dates back to IU coach Tracy Smith’s days at Miami of Ohio when one of his players, outfielder Ryne Robinson, did the same move. It was at a fall practice that Crawford told Smith he could perform the flip, too.\n“(Evan) had talked about it at fall practice,” Smith said. “One time on the turf at practice, \nhe whipped out a bunch of them. They were pretty cool. I liked it. The fans like it.”\nThe IU fans have embraced Crawford – as much for what he does on the field as his pregame acrobatics.\nThe freshman has been a mainstay in Smith’s lineup this season, starting all 22 of IU’s games while leading the team with a .388 batting average, tying the team lead in RBIs and hits, and coming in second overall with 10 stolen bases.\nAs a senior at Reynoldsburg High School in Ohio, Crawford hit a blistering .462 with 21 stolen bases while playing shortstop.\nBut coming to IU as a freshman, the 6-foot-1-inch second baseman admits he struggled in fall practice.\n“I got here and wasn’t ready to play shortstop,” \nCrawford said. “I didn’t show I was ready in the fall.”\nCrawford did not earn the chance to be named the Hoosiers’ starting shortstop, Smith said.\n“He wasn’t consistent enough, and that’s the thing we talk about Evan all the time,” Smith said. “Shortstops have to be consistent. The nature of the position of shortstop is that it’s a defensive position first, and then you worry about your offense.”\nBut because Smith saw Crawford as such an “accomplished hitter,” the freshman was moved over to second base. He is still adjusting to the new position. He is tied for the team lead with nine errors, but his double-play partner at shortstop, Keith Haas, has seen the transformation as Crawford becomes accustomed to playing second.\n“Defensively, he’s definitely improved,” Haas said. “He’s always hit the ball. That’s not a problem. But defensively, he’s getting his hands out and keeping his hands out. The little things, we’ve seen a lot of improvement out of him.”\nCrawford’s defensive ability has come in spurts so far, but one obvious example has come in turning double plays. The Hoosiers have turned 21 double plays this season – tied for first in the Big Ten – thanks to the range of both Crawford and Haas.\nWith the position change, Crawford is still getting used to the increased workload with the coaches pushing him to improve as a player.\n“It’s how much the coaches ask out of you,” Crawford said. “I’ve never been pushed this hard in my entire life.”\nSmith said he and his staff push Crawford as a player because they see potential in the second basemen they recruited to be the future of the IU middle infield.\n“I often say to him: ‘You don’t know how great you could be,’” Smith said. “And it’s true. He has a chance to be very, very special. He’s already good, but I’m always challenging him to be great.”\nNow 22 games into the season, Crawford has solidified his spot in the two-hole, giving the Hoosiers a contact hitter to get things started while also giving them a threat to steal bases.\nIn the future, Smith sees Crawford as a lead-off hitter for the Hoosiers in the years to come because of his physical makeup.\n“The way he runs, the way he handles the bat, gets on base, his speed alone makes him a lead-off candidate,” Smith said.\nWith the Hoosiers less than halfway through their 2007 campaign, there is still more baseball left to be played. And for now, Crawford is working on improving one game at a time, something his teammates have noticed.\n“He just goes out there and plays,” Haas said. “That’s all you can ask from someone no matter what age. Just go out and play the game. You’ve been doing it your whole life.”