Long way from home, TCU’s Australian second baseman finds his spot

When the season began, TCU knew it was going to need infielders. All four spots were open, and the Horned Frogs needed options.

Hey, even an outfielder from Australia could get a look.

That was Cam Warner.

A good hitter who played on youth development teams in and around Canberra, Australia, Warner had made his way to the United States to play at Hill Junior College for two years and was looking for a Division I home last summer.

But at TCU, it would mean a change in position.

“When we signed him, we said, ‘Man, we really need you to figure out how to play the infield, because we definitely don’t need another outfielder,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said.

Challenge accepted.

The experiment appears to be working.

“He’s quietly putting together an unbelievable season,” Schlossnagle said.

Warner ranks ninth in the Big 12 in hits and RBIs as the Frogs (24-8, 6-3) prepare to host Oklahoma (18-15-1, 5-4) in a three-game series beginning Friday at Lupton Stadium.

“He’s really turned into an athletic, rangy second baseman; turns a good double play,” Schlossnagle said. “And obviously when you’re getting offense like that from a second baseman, that’s huge. All the credit goes to him. He’s worked really hard. He’s definitely answered those questions in terms of what position he could play.”

Warner wasn’t a total infield rookie. He said he played first base and shortstop his first year at Hill and third base and outfield his second year.

“I knew I had a lot to learn,” he said. “I knew I had the talent there, just had to continue to get reps and reps. I wasn’t the best defender growing up, or even when I came to junior college. I always played infield growing up — I kind of had the instinct for it. I knew I had to get a lot better to play at the Division I level defensively.”

“We watched him take ground balls and felt like he was athletic enough to play in the infield,” Schlossnagle said. “He just needed to be put in the right spot.”

Baseball isn’t big enough in Australia for high school teams, Warner said. But it became his best sport. His father was a baseball player, and two older brothers also played junior college baseball in the United States, at Garden City, Kan., he said.

So Warner — who, yes, played rugby and no, doesn’t own a pet kangaroo — is carrying on a family tradition with the bat and glove. His parents were flying in Thursday from Australia to watch him play.

“Baseball was always the true love, so I just stuck to that,” he said.

And appears to be sticking around.

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Long way from home, TCU’s Australian second baseman finds his spot."