In a recent game, Malden's Dee Triplett was standing on first base and heard an opposing coach telling the pitcher not to worry about him, he wasn't going anywhere.
Triplett didn't appreciate this. The defensive tackle/power forward/first baseman/pitcher/kicker who benches 400 pounds and squats 700 pounds turned to his first-base coach and said "I'm going to steal this play, show them I got some speed."
The next pitch was in the dirt and Triplett stayed put. He wanted his stolen base to be honest. The next pitch he took off for second.
The throw got away and Triplett jumped up and took off for third. That throw also was and error and Triplett again jumped up, ran for home and scored.
"I was tired. But it was fun to show them I got a little bit of speed for a big guy," he said.
Added Malden coach Tim Harmon, "He'll fool you. He doesn't look like he can go, but when he wants to he'll turn the motor up and go."
Triplett is emblematic of a Green Wave roster that is loaded with athleticism and will host Scott City at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 3 state playoffs. Malden baseball has never advanced past the sectional round.
"We have a lot of people who like to work hard. We have strong people, we have fast people, we have a lot of leaders," Mason Brown said. "It just takes a little bit more work to get a (district championship in) baseball one because we are so gifted in football and basketball. Baseball you really have to work around here.
"We don't have the numbers we usually do with football and basketball, so you really have to work with what you are given."
Seniors Dushawn Butler and Ontario Reed joined the baseball team for the first time this season and have helped in the outfield and with speed along the bases.
"I tried to get Dushawn to play every dang year. He had to shake off a little rust and struggled a little bit early," Harmon said. "Ontario, he has been more of our speed element off the bench ... and he has been a valuable contributor."
That speed comes in handy in Malden's large outfield that is 315 feet to the corners and 370 feet to the wall in center.
"You don't see a lot of long balls here unless the wind is blowing straight out," Harmon said.
Malden (22-5) hits over .300 as a team with Triplett leading the way with about a .560 batting average and five home runs.
In Scott City (18-11), the Green Wave are anticipating a contact hitting team that will rely on its pitching and defense.
The Green Wave last won a district title in 2015 and lost 8-6 to the Rams in the same round. The seniors were freshmen then and it still sticks with them.
"I started at shortstop and I made a couple errors that probably could have changed the game. That's been sticking with me the past three years to finally get anther chance at them," Brown said. "It's the only thing I've been really thinking about (the past few days). It is probably driving my mom nuts."
As of Friday, Harmon didn't know who he was going to start on the mound. Malden's three primary pitchers have all struggled some lately.
Brown is a power pitcher with a hard fastball and hard slider. Triplett relies on his change up and location while Tye Miller mixes things up and gets hitters off-balance. Harmon said the trio were a benefit because Scott City has three players to prepare for while Malden is anticipated either Dakota Talley or Bryan McNeely to pitch for the Rams.
In Malden's 9-5 win over Doniphan in the district championship, Triplett started and Ethan Bader closed it out.
"McNeely throws hard, likes to throw a first pitch fastball down the middle and get ahead in the count," Bader said. "Tally, he throws a lot of junk, throws from different slots, he's a lot about deception."
Added Harmon, "We just have to have everybody going at the right time and we will be fine."