May 13, 2005

Charleston, SC - Kyle Jordan grew up in The Citadel's dugout. He was 3 years old when his father Fred became The Citadel's baseball coach. When he was 5, Kyle started traveling with the Bulldogs, rooming on some trips with future major-leaguer Britt Reames. He was the team's batboy and played cards, lifted weights and practiced with players such as Brian Wiley, Dallas McPherson, Chris Ard and Matt Matulia.

"Those were some great experiences for Kyle and myself," Fred Jordan said. "I look back on it, and those are memories that I will never forget."

But in baseball, as in life, kids grow up and start to pursue their own dreams.

Tonight, 17-year-old Kyle will be on a baseball field in Lexington trying to win a state championship for Stratford High School, where he is a junior and the Knights' starting shortstop. Fred will be in Greenville with his Citadel team, trying to win two out of three at Furman to stay alive in the race for the Southern Conference Tournament.

It's enough to drive a wife and mother crazy.

"I support Freddy as much as I can," said Debra Jordan, who will be at Stratford's Class AAAA title game against Mauldin tonight. "And I support Kyle as much as I can. But it's very rare that I miss one of Kyle's games. I only have him for a little while."

Given his chosen profession, it's also rare for Fred Jordan to be able to see his son's games. The Bulldogs are usually off on Mondays, so the coach was there when Stratford defeated Mauldin last Monday in the first game of the state finals.

But as Stratford lost by 8-5 at Mauldin on Wednesday, Fred Jordan was on a bus back from Raleigh, where the Bulldogs had lost by the same score at North Carolina State. "My wife kept me updated throughout the game," said Jordan, who once was the head coach at Stratford.

"They had a tough night, but they've got to put it behind them. (Today) is the big day for them."

The success of Stratford and his son has helped ease a tough season for Fred Jordan. His father, "Runt" Jordan, passed away a week before the season started. And the Bulldogs, headed for their first losing season since 1994, have struggled from the start and are in danger of missing out on the eight-team SoCon Tournament for the first time since 1987.

"It's been good to go home and have something pleasant to talk about," Fred Jordan said. "Kyle helps me a lot. He keeps me on an even keel, too, and he's one of our biggest fans."

Kyle's youth spent in The Citadel dugout has made him one of the Knights' savviest players, Stratford coach John Chalus said.

"He's a lot like his dad," Chalus said. "He has a strong work ethic, he's very competitive and he hates to fail."

Stratford has long been a pipeline for Citadel players -- current Bulldogs Ard and Josh Stackley played there, and current Knights Matt Crim, Sunny Meade and Brett Bull are headed for The Citadel. It's too soon to say whether Kyle Jordan also will be a Bulldog, but Chalus said he has college potential.

Meanwhile, there are the matters of a state championship to win and a SoCon Tournament to get into. "My mind will mainly be in Furman," Fred Jordan said. "Kyle can take care of himself, and I'll take care of mine. He understands that, and my family understands that."

SHORT HOPS

The Citadel enters the weekend 1-1/2 games behind Furman for eighth place in the SoCon, and likely needs to win four of its last six SoCon games to have a shot at the tournament ... Jordan said he will start Ryan Owens (5-4, 5.19 ERA) tonight and Justin Smith (2-1, 5.70) on Saturday, with Sunday's starter to be decided ... "We feel like 14 (SoCon) wins, you're definitely in," Jordan said. "Thirteen, and you are probably in."