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His teammates, because of his blasé manner, call him "an odd duck." His first response to a question tends to be a shrug of his shoulders. Then come the words "I don't know." Then a look crosses his face that silently can be deciphered as "whatever." No, Texas third baseman David Maroul isn't much into discussing the "why" of baseball. Results are what matter to the senior from Benbrook, Texas. And big results are what led to him being voted the most outstanding player of the 59th College World Series. Maroul became just the fifth third baseman in history to claim the award after hitting .500 for the CWS and starring in both games of Texas' championship series sweep of Florida. In Sunday's 6-2 win, Maroul hammered a three-run home run and drove in the game's first run with one of his two singles. In Saturday's 4-2 victory, he hit a two-run homer and added a single and a double. Quite an outburst for a guy who hit .224 last year and was at .229 entering this year's CWS. "David is one of the greatest defensive third basemen I've ever seen play," Texas associate head coach Tommy Harmon said. "But now he has developed a knack for, in big games, hitting the ball a long way. "It was fortunate for us - and him - that it happened now." Maroul has exploded in short bursts before. In a three-game series earlier this season against Texas A&M, he twice had four-RBI games. In the 2004 Big 12 tournament, he hit two home runs in three games. "So I knew this was something he had in him," Texas shortstop Seth Johnston said. "I can't describe how big it was for us to have him step up. "He deserves the MVP trophy. He was 'The Man' for us offensively and defensively the whole series." Despite playing next to Maroul for two seasons, Johnston still hasn't figured out exactly what makes his teammate tick. "He's an odd duck with the way nothing seems to bother him," Johnston said. "But that helps him. He always seems calm." So how does Maroul handle pressure, especially the kind apparent the past 10 days on college baseball's biggest stage? "I don't know," he said. "Maybe just being here last year kind of helped. "Usually at the beginning of games I'm real nervous. But after the first batter or the first groundball my way, it's all gone." As reporters peppered Maroul with questions about why his hitting took off at the CWS, Maroul shrugged enough that he might need treatment for shoulder strains. "I don't know. I'm just doing what I've been doing all season - come out swinging," he said. "It just happened. "I've been real relaxed and I'm seeing the ball well. I just tried not to think too much." The thought of carrying off the top player trophy produced one of Maroul's quickest answers. "Not many third basemen have won that," he said. He's right. The others were Pat Burrell of Miami in 1996; Phil Nevin of Cal State Fullerton in 1992; Sal Bando of Arizona State in 1965; and Jim Dobson of Oklahoma State in 1959. "It's an awesome feeling," Maroul said. "It's a good way to go out. But it's still a team sport. I wouldn't have been here without my team." And the team might not have hauled away the championship trophy without Maroul. "We've had a lot of guys take turns getting things done," Harmon said. "It's been somebody different every week. "This time, it was David's turn. We're glad to see those guys who haven't been the top dog do it. David was certainly at the forefront of that." Contact the Omaha World-Herald newsroom Copyright ©2005 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or distributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald. 
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