Dec. 18, 2006

Speed is lethal on a baseball field. And when NJC's Mike Mendenhall toed the starting line against teammate Josh Warren for a 60-yard footrace, Head NJC Baseball Coach Bryan Shepherd caught a glimpse of how the Plainsmen will attack the opposition. NJC will run all day when the Laramie Express reaches base.

"Beep, beep! It was like watching road runner," Shepherd said. "With those two at the top of the lineup and when both of them get on base, we're almost guaranteed to score one run. I think I might have to start going to track meets in Laramie, Wyoming, to look for baseball players."

Both players finished the 60-yard race in less than 6.5 seconds...big league speed if you're scoring at home. That type of pure speed translates to the base paths where these two lifetime friends from Laramie, Wyo., give opposing catchers fits. When Mendenhall or Warren reach first base, the action intensifies with every drop of nervous sweat the pitcher loses.

"I usually take a smaller lead because I know I'm pretty much going to steal every time," Warren said. "Sometimes I time the pitcher a couple times but I usually like to go right away so the pitcher can't get locked in on me."

The 2006 edition of Plainsmen baseball will feature the two speedsters hitting first and second in the batting order. With Warren leading off and Mendenhall batting second, the speedy tandem has a chance to help NJC sprint to the winner's circle on a regular basis. The middle of NJC's batting order should have plenty of RBI chances.

"I think we put our hitters in the middle of the order in an easier situation," Mendenhall said. "Pitchers are going to be focused on us so our hitters should get some good pitches to hit."

Mendenhall and Warren have been competing with and against each other since the beginning of their baseball days in Laramie. Mendenhall's first recollection of Warren's speed was as a 12-year-old in Little League.

"He played for Dairy Queen and I played for the Odd Fellows," Mendenhall said. "They were terrible but he was their quickest guy. I didn't know how quick he was until that year."

"We've been playing against each other or with each other since as far back as I can remember," Warren said. "He probably used to beat me up."

Warren, a freshman business major at NJC, said his days playing for Dairy Queen showed him he could steal a bag any time he wanted.

"I loved Little League because everyone knew we were stealing and we still ran," Warren said. "I never really raced Mike until legion ball though. We've just always been the fastest."

It comes as no surprise that both Mendenhall and Warren were All-State in track as high schoolers. But hockey and gymnastics? Mendenhall played in a Colorado hockey league in high school and earned All-State honors. Warren was among the nation's elite gymnasts at the high school level, and he can still rip off a back flip from a stationary position at will.

"Josh Warren is one of the most superb athletes and can do things that are out of this world when you think about baseball players," NJC outfielder Langston Frison said. "He gets everybody hyped with his athletic ability. Watching this guy flip is like drinking a Red Bull."

As times and scenery have changed for the Mendenhall and Warren, the more things have stayed the same. The pair brought elite baserunning speed to NJC after toiling for a year. Following All-State high school baseball careers. Both players were forced to adjust their choice of college.

Warren and Mendenhall transferred to NJC from Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, Iowa. After a short stint at Indian Hills, both players took about as much time to make their decision to transfer to NJC as it takes them to leg out a triple.

"I was coming here without a doubt after the first time I visited," Warren said. "It's just easier to put it out on the line for a team when you click with your teammates and the coaches."

Shepherd embraced Warren and Mendenhall with open arms. Like all coaches, Shepherd knows the old cliché that still holds true...'you can't teach speed.' Mendenhall, a Physical Education/Coaching major, is familiar with the player/coach psychology.

"I like the coaching a lot more here at NJC," Mendenhall said with a grin. "Hopefully Shep reads this because I'm just trying to get some playing time. But seriously the coaching is better for me. The facilities are better. There are more students and a lot more girls."

Warren and Mendenhall will man center and left field, respectively, for the Plainsmen in the spring of 2007. And the NJC pitching staff is feeling pretty secure about the fly balls that travel in the direction of the two speedsters.

"With that kind of speed behind me I really don't have to worry about anything," NJC pitcher Jacob Clinton said. "Pretty much anything hit out there is gonna be caught. And as hitters, I can guarantee that if those two guys are 2-for-4, I'm going to get three or four runs of run support. That gives the whole staff more confidence."

With the speed these two Wyoming natives bring to the table, they are destined to play in one of the nation's best baseball programs. Mendenhall said he'd like to play at Oklahoma if he had the choice...Warren said Arizona State. Wherever they decide to play, NJC's two best outfielders have come a long way from the days of Dairy Queen vs. the Odd Fellows.