Major League Baseball's Web site, mlb.com, lists Ben Zobrist at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. Bob Gold remembers when Zobrist was a foot shorter and nearly 100 pounds lighter. | Bogar: Zobrist provides 'super utility' | Peoria's Pete Vonachen, Rays' Maddon share bond | MLB page

That was the day Zobrist showed up as a freshman for Eureka High School baseball tryouts. He had "junior varsity" written all over him, or perhaps "junior high." Yet Gold, Eureka's head coach at the time, saw something more when he looked past the obvious lack of size.

The skinny little kid could run down anything in the outfield. More importantly, there was a lot of "competitiveness and grit" jammed into such a small package.

So Gold rolled the dice. He put the 5-3, 110-pound Zobrist on the varsity.

"I took some heat from some people," said Gold, now principal at Eureka Middle School. "They didn't understand why I would do that. He was a little guy. But he was the type of kid I knew would give you everything he had."

Zobrist saw time in the outfield and at second base in that spring of 1997. The transition to shortstop and pitcher would have to wait until later in his high school career.

"He wasn't strong enough to throw across the infield," Gold explained.

Zobrist is plenty strong these days, and headed to the World Series as a utility player for the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

While Gold saw potential in his scrawny freshman, and watched him develop into "a very good high school player," he never envisioned all of this when Zobrist graduated in 2000.

Zobrist was committed to a college that did not have baseball. He seemed ready to move on. Then, he got the itch to play in a summer league and asked Gold to help him find an opportunity.

The search led to a tryout day in Brimfield, where college and pro scouts were watching. Soon, Zobrist had a scholarship to Division III Olivet Nazarene.

Three years at Olivet Nazarene, a senior season at Division I Dallas Baptist and two productive summers in the Northwoods League put Zobrist on the professional radar.

Drafted in the sixth round by Houston in June 2004, he made his big-league debut with Tampa Bay in 2006 and will be in uniform tonight for Game 1 against Philadelphia.

He won't be the first guy Joe Buck and Tim McCarver talk about. Zobrist did not appear in the AL Division Series, and was 0-for-4 in parts of three games in the ALCS.

Still, Gold will be in front of his television, hoping to see a player who first caught his eye at Eureka's old high school diamond.

The left-field fence was 250 feet from home plate with an 18-foot screen, prompting the natives to call it "The Screen Monster." As a sophomore, the still-diminutive Zobrist hit a ball over it for a home run.

This year, Gold was watching on TV when Zobrist hit one of his 12 homers with the Rays. He marveled at the long blast, saying, "He didn't have 12 home runs in four years of high school. I sent him a text message and said, 'You've come a long way since you hit that first one over The Screen Monster.' "

Fact is, Zobrist has been a valuable contributor to the Rays' improbable season. After recovering from a broken thumb suffered in the spring, he batted .253 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in 62 games (198 at bats).

Beyond that, his versatility enabled Tampa Bay to withstand some key injuries. He played 35 games at shortstop, 19 in the outfield, eight at second base and one at third base.

The 27-year-old has drawn upon the athleticism that made him a fine basketball player at Eureka as well. Growing to 6-1 by his senior year, he started on the Hornets' 25-1 team.

Eureka coach Tim Meiss called him a "good shooter, good defender and good ballhandler." He considered Zobrist the ultimate team player.

Still …

"You just don't think, 'This is a major-league baseball player who will be playing in the World Series,' " said Meiss, who also coached future big-league pitcher Bill Sampen at Hartsburg-Emden. "I think Ben's work ethic is the key. His willingness to work on the little things is what really helps him stand out."

Students at Eureka Middle School are too young to recall Zobrist's basketball days. Yet, they are aware of what he is doing now. Gold said "more than a few" have Mohawk haircuts, same as the Rays.

They imagine themselves in the shoes of their hometown hero, and why not? Some are no bigger than 5-3 and 110 pounds.

Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs