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GREENSBORO — Ray Crawford Jr. stepped out of the batter's box, turned to his mom in the stands, then to his girlfriend sitting next to her, then to the umpire.

"I'm about to hit this one out," he said with a confidence typically reserved for guys named Babe Ruth.

The pitch came in like a cow headed to slaughter. Crawford turned on it with the force of a triggered mouse trap. The ball sailed high through the air at NewBridge Bank Park, the place where the grown-ups play, and was far from slowing down as it cleared the 365-foot sign in left center for a grand slam and the exclamation point on another 4-for-4 day at the plate.

"In my mind," Crawford said, "I'm not supposed to get out."

Most players believe that, but few can back it up like Crawford, who is hitting over .700 as Dudley's starting third baseman this season. On a team with no seniors, this junior with a verbal commitment to UNCG has emerged as one of the toughest outs in the area and one of the most important players to his team as the postseason gets started this week.

"He wants that team to be on his back," Panthers head coach Larry Farrer said. "He wants to carry them."

"He loves winning and loves pressure. Two outs, down one, runner on base, he wants to be at the plate."

If the story sounds familiar, turn your memory back a few years. Crawford's dad, Ray Sr., had a Hall of Fame playing career at both Dudley and N.C. A&T and was later a semi-pro batting champion. Even he marvels at his son's natural ability, the spring-loaded wrists, the patience at the plate, the knack for coming through when most needed.

Crawford Jr. doubled in his first at-bat three years ago and became the first Dudley freshman ever to be named all-conference.

Genes could only take him so far. Farrer remembers Crawford as a "slow little chubby kid" when he entered the program, and it wasn't until he hooked up with Carmine Pagano and Alan Ashkinazy at the Greensboro Batting Center that he started feasting on spinach salads and grilled chicken with onions instead of double cheeseburgers. Now he looks like a man in a boy's body.

"I've never seen someone work like him during the offseason," Farrer said. "Even during practice, he wants extra ground balls, he wants extra pitches. He loves the game."

That part comes from Dad. Crawford Sr. has been one of baseball's most ardent boosters in the area, donating both time and money to promote the sport to kids who might otherwise not play. He hardly ever misses one of his only child's games, and Ray Jr. committed to UNCG in part because "I kind of want Pops to see me."

All those home runs, nine and counting this season, he hits for his mom, though. Angela Crawford keeps every one of them in a vase at their home. The grand slam at NewBridge flew out of everyone's reach, but "we'll make one up," she said.

It likely won't be the last.

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com