"Baseball," Ted Williams said, "is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of 10 and be considered a good performer."

So where does that leave Casey Hausauer? The Beulah shortstop is hitting .524 23 games into the season and he basically yawns.

"Last year I was right around .500, too, and my first year of Legion Ihit like .570," Hausauer said.

Batting averages in that level of the stratosphere require a smooth stroke and great wheels. Hausauer, who just graduated from Beulah High School this spring, possesses both.

"He started off a little slowly and he got red hot about eight games into the season," Beulah coach Reid Flaagan said. "… Plus, he's so fast if he hits a groundball to the shortstop he'll usually beat it out."

Hausauer admits not all of his hits leave the infield. "I've probably got a few (leg hits)," he said. "… Ilive off speed. … If Ihit a line drive to the wall I'm pushing for three, not two."

While it may seem like we're talking about a heaven-sent leadoff man here, Flaagan writes Hausauer's name in the three hole on the lineup card.

Hausauer, who walks frequently, batted leadoff his first two years of Legion ball and prospered there. "The last few years I was the leadoff hitter," he said. "Iprobably haven't batted third in the order since Babe Ruth ball."

Still, Hausauer jumped into the middle of the lineup and became a run-producing demon. He has a home run plus a team-leading 27 RBIs, and 36 runs to go with his elevated batting average.

The Cyclones are batting .363 as a team and have outscored their opponents 216-58 en route to a 21-2 start.

It doesn't hurt that Hausauer is surrounded by offensive stalwarts front and back.

"At least one of our one and two guys (Brian Haugstad and Dane Johansen) is usually on base, so Ihave opportunities to get RBIs," Hausauer said. "And I still score runs with because our four, five and six guys (Ike Michaelson, Tyler Bauman and Tanner Boe) are all really good hitters, too."

Hausauer barely knows the definition of the word "slump."

"Maybe I'll have a 1-for-4 game," he said. "And the next one I'll be 2-for-3 or 3-for-4."

The right-handed-swinging Hausauer said hitting has come naturally to him since he first picked up a bat a long, long time ago.

"I've been hitting since I was 2 years old. I spent a lot of time in the back yard with my brother (Tyler) and my mom (Renae). I think I was 5 when I started tee ball," he said.

In addition, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Hausauer has a wideout's speed. He's signed a letter of intent to play football and Jamestown College, and Flaagan doesn't hesitate to utilize Hausauer's running ability.

"He usually gets about one (stolen base) a game," Flaagan said.

No matter the sport, Hausauer plays full-bore. So when he's on the bases he puts pressure on the defense. "I was taught aggressive baserunning, so every base I can get I try to take," he said.

That attitude carries over to defense, too. "Speed helps me to track down a lot of shallow fly balls in the outfield and it gives me a pretty good jump on groundballs," Hausauer said.

Because of the way his birthday falls, Hausauer, 18, is playing his final season of Legion baseball. He's enjoying every minute of it - the winning, the hitting and the camaraderie.

"There's really nothing discouraging about baseball," he said. "You've got your teammates behind you all the time to pick you up when you make a mistake. When everything is going good it's really fun."

Because this is the last time around for Hausauer, he's made something of a crusade of getting to the state tournament.

"My first year we lost the sectional championship game to Hazen and last year we lost to Washburn in the sectional championship game," Hausauer said. "We've got to get that monkey off our back and get into the state tournament again.

"… I'd like to make it to the state tournament, hopefully win a few games there and, possibly, win a state championship.We have go get ready for the Great Plains Super-regional we have here in Beulah."

That tournament is for the non-advancing state Legion champions from six western states who are not eligible for the Central Plains regional tournament.

To accomplish all of that, Flaagan would like to have Hausauer in his pitching rotation. He's only pitched two games thus far due to a tender throwing arm.

Hausauer said his arm has improved since a recent visit to a chiropractor. He got his second pitching start in about three weeks earlier this week againstWashburn and will get another try next week.

"I'm supposed to pitch Monday against Mandan.I'm hoping it will be good to go by then," Hausauer said.

Sore are or not, Flaagan said Hausauer hasn't let up in the field. "It's affected his practice habits … but in a game he lets the adrenaline take care of it for him," the coach said.

Naturally, a 21-2 season has included some winning streaks. The Cyclones had won six straight when they split with the BismarckReps on Wednesday inBeulah. Thursday,Beulah won 13-4 and 14-9 at Hettinger to make it three in a row.

Flaagan said a .913 winning percentage is above and beyond his expectations.

"I don't think 21-2 was what I expected, but we've come out and played really well so far, especially our hitting," Flaagan said.

Hausauer said there's no reason the Cyclones can't maintain such a pace. "The whole team is hitting the ball pretty well lately," he said. "… We've got plenty of talent, so I guess if we can keep the attitude in check there isn't any reason we can't keep winning."