Devotion Counts
When opportunity knocks, Eddie Murray is quick to answer.
Whether it’s stealing second on the pitcher’s first move or turning a routine double into a breathtaking triple, Murray, a senior at Cerritos Gahr, is able to take advantage.
Murray has the same attitude off the field: Work hard, study hard and always be prepared to answer the bell.
A 5-foot-8, 155-pound shortstop, Murray signed with UCLA last fall. With his future in relative focus, the daily two-mile drive to school from his family’s cramped mobile home in a 20-year-old hand-me-down compact doesn’t seem so bad.
“Whether it’s in baseball or not, he’s going to personally find a way to be successful,†Coach Gerardo Perez said.
After 26 games this season, Murray, 17, sits near the top of several Southland statistical categories. He has 11 triples among his 21 extra-base hits, which is two shy of the Southern Section record set by Paul Caffrey of Anaheim Heritage Christian (now Fullerton Eastside Christian) in 1996.
He has not been caught stealing in 34 attempts.
His batting average, which recently dipped below .500 for the first time since his sophomore season, is up to .500 again, and he has struck out only eight times in approximately 200 plate appearances over the last two seasons.
Murray has scored 41 runs and driven in 38 this year.
But what most impresses coaches and teammates is his desire to arrive early and stay late at practice, whether it’s to put in extra work with a bat or a rake.
“He works hard,†said sophomore third baseman Victor Sanchez, who has driven in 52 runs batting in the cleanup spot behind Murray. “He doesn’t want to stop.â€
The Gladiators (21-5, 13-2) won the San Gabriel Valley League, which will find out its pairings today for the Southern Section Division III playoffs after competing in Division II last year.
Some argue that Murray’s statistics are a result of Gahr’s weak schedule, but at least a couple of the Southland’s best pitchers might disagree.
Last season, he had two singles up the middle against Trevor Plouffe of Encino Crespi and two doubles against Phil Hughes of Santa Ana Foothill in a 2-1 first-round playoff loss. Both were selected in the first round of the amateur draft that June.
“I knew I could do pretty well against those kinds of pitchers,†said Murray, who was told that those at-bats were noticed by the UCLA recruiters.
Baseball is the only organized sport Murray has played.
He took his first swings at age 3, shortly after moving to Cerritos from New York with his parents, Brian and Lily, and his sisters, Iris and Grace.
They settled in a mobile home park in Artesia nearly 10 years ago. Murray and his sisters share a bedroom -- Iris left last fall for Long Beach State, where she is a freshman on the women’s volleyball team -- and established privacy rules and forged a bond that grew tighter than seams on a baseball.
“Not a lot of people have close relationships with their siblings,†said Murray, whose sister Grace is a sophomore at Gahr. “Now, whenever [Iris] comes home, we can talk about stuff that’s going on.â€
Though thriftiness was practiced by all family members, money was always available for the children to participate in athletics or to purchase sports equipment.
At 14, Murray’s Norwalk Pony League team won the Pony League World Series.
When it came to other amusements and personal luxuries, however, the Murray children were usually on their own.
“It has definitely humbled us,†Iris said. “My dad is really wise with money and believes in spending it on the right stuff.â€
Eddie became somewhat of an entrepreneur. Having sold candy as a fund-raiser for his Pony League, he soon embarked on a freelance career.
“You’re not supposed to,†he said. “But the prom was just last Saturday, and I didn’t want to ask for any money, so ...â€
After earning a 3.8 grade-point average and scoring 1,200 on his SAT, Murray said the UCLA scholarship is especially rewarding because it provides him an opportunity to make his own way. Major league scouts come to Gahr’s games primarily to see Murray’s teammate, speedy outfielder Greg Cain. That’s OK with Murray.
“Even if [the scouts] aren’t looking at me,†he said. “I know next year I’m going to UCLA.â€
As far as his career plans, Murray said he’ll wait for that next knock.
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