From Ballplayer to Soldier
- Community
- Aramco Brats
Author: Eric Smith; Anchorage Daily News
Released 28 May 2004
ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS (ALASKA, U.S.), May 27, 2004: For four years, Craig
Thibodeaux has given the Chugiak High baseball team solid hitting and fielding,
and he helped the Mustangs earn a berth in next week's state tournament.
But the 19-year-old senior will soon hang up his bat and glove -- at least
temporarily -- to serve his country.
In August, just a few months after graduating from high school, Thibodeaux
will fulfill a longtime dream by joining the Marine Corps.
"I always knew I was going to go into the military 'cause I've always wanted
to work in the FBI or CIA and have that military background," he said. "I
decided to go into the military now instead of doing it after college."
Thibodeaux said his decision to become a Marine caused some tension at home
early on.
"My dad was all for it; my mom hated it," he said. "It took her a couple of
weeks to get used to it."
His mother's reservations didn't deter Thibodeaux from signing up, and
neither did the ongoing military situation overseas.
"It kind of reinforced it for me," said Thibodeaux, who is acutely aware of
the possibility he'll get shipped off to the Middle East once his training is
complete. "It's a big possibility, but I hear different things."
If Thibodeaux is dispatched to the desert next year, he'll have little
trouble acclimating to the hot and dusty climate. He spent eight years of his
childhood in Saudi Arabia where his father, Kim, worked for Aramco, a global
oil, gas and petroleum company.
It was in Saudi Arabia, of all places, where Thibodeaux honed his baseball
skills. He was one of numerous Aramco brats who played for an Arabian American
Little League team that won the 1997 European Little League World Series in
Poland and earned a berth in the Little League World Series in Williamsport,
Pa.
Back in the states, Thibodeaux continued to play baseball -- and continued to
get better. Earlier this week Thibodeaux was rewarded for his outstanding
performance on the diamond by being named the Gatorade player of the year for
Alaska, an honor that surprised him when he found out on Sunday.
"I didn't know what was going on," he said. "I honestly don't know why I got
it."
All he needed to do was ask his coach.
"You look at the seniors across the league," said fifth-year Chugiak coach
Bill Lierman Jr. "He was one of the best players last year."
Batting in the leadoff position this season, Thibodeaux hit .276 -- down 57
points from last year -- but he led the Mustangs with nine RBIs, 10 runs scored,
eight stolen bases and four doubles.
Thibodeaux played catcher his freshman season, shortstop and second base as a
sophomore and center field the past two years. He didn't commit a single error
in the outfield this season and he routinely snagged fly balls that seemed
destined to become extra-base hits.
"I have a lot of confidence," he said. "I can play shallow, and if they hit
it over my head I'm pretty sure I can go and get that ball every single time.
Only one ball has gotten past me this year."
And the Mustangs knew anything hit toward their center fielder was an
automatic out.
"He controls it out there. It's his outfield," said sophomore catcher Keegan
Kucko. "He'll dive for the ball, or he'll sprint back and catch it over his
head. It makes me think, 'Oh, that'll work. That'll get us back to the dugout.'
"
Thibodeaux's statistics aside, the intangibles he brings to the game helped
propel the Mustangs to their first state bid since the new tournament format --
which includes one team each from Regions III, IV, V and VI -- began in
2000.
"He's a focused player, a determined player, a competitive player," Lierman
Jr. said. "When he starts a game, he gets into it. He doesn't think about
anything else. He doesn't like to lose any kind of battle."
That's especially evident at the plate, where Thibodeaux doesn't mind leaning
into a pitch to get a free base.
"Ever since I was a freshman I was taught, 'This team does not move for a
ball,' " he said. "I just got used to that as a freshman. I sat there and took
the ball. If they peg me, I don't mind walking to first base and stealing second
and third and getting a run for us."
Thibodeaux is also famous -- maybe infamous in the eyes of Chugiak's
opponents -- for his catchy, antagonistic chatter. Teammates said he'll bust out
phrases like 'Nice route, paper boy!' when an opposing outfielder makes a bad
read on a fly ball, or 'Turn off the blinker!' when a pitcher badly tips his
move to first.
Thibodeaux is hardly the only player on Chugiak's Region IV championship team
that contributed to the Mustangs' success. They got big hitting production from
Kucko and Michael Johnson, who each surpassed double digits in hits and averaged
well over .350. And Chugiak's pitching rotation -- featuring multi-game winners
Luke Sorensen, Ben Rosen and Conor Spink -- was top-notch also, limiting
opponents' run production when the Mustang bats were silent.
Chugiak's stellar play in the field also kept them in tight games, and that
could be the difference when the Mustangs open the state tournament against
Region VI champion West Valley.
But the real secret to Chugiak winning it all next week will be continuing
the formula that led the Mustangs to a 9-1 season record.
"Everyone on the team plays for the team, not for themselves," said Rosen, a
sophomore.
Thibodeaux has tried to instill that attitude in the team's younger players,
and according to Lierman, Thibodeaux's teamwork on the field of play should
translate well to the military.
"Because he's so competitive, so focused, I think he'll be a great Marine,"
Lierman Jr. said.
Thibodeaux, who has been training with the Marine reserves to prepare him for
boot camp and already has his hair cut high and tight, knows he has a long
journey ahead.
Though Thibodeaux is eager to begin his duty as a soldier, he knows how much
work is in store when he reports to camp.
"I'm really excited about it," he said, "but I know right when I get off that
bus it's going to change."