May 27, 2013 4 min read

About 90 minutes before Friday night’s Wild Things home opener, Darian Sandford was trapped. The speediest guy in the Frontier League was surrounded with no place to maneuver.

Sandford, the Wild Things’ center fielder and Frontier League’s single-season record-holder for stolen bases, was surrounded along Consol Energy Park’s right-field line by Southern Illinois manager Mike Pinto and Miners hitting coach Ralph Santana. They were there to deliver a two-word message to Sandford.

Thank you.

They also came bearing a gift. Pinto and Santana presented Sandford with a Frontier League championship ring.

Sandford played 64 games last year for Southern Illinois before being traded, along with pitcher Anthony Collazo, late in the season to Washington in exchange for pitchers Steve Grife and Nick Ciccio. The trade worked for both sides. Sandford went on to complete a record-setting season by stealing 71 bases, and the Miners won their first Frontier League championship.

Though he wasn’t with the Miners at season’s end, Sandford’s contributions weren’t forgotten by his former employer and teammates.

“Giving him a ring was something we had to do,” Pinto said. “For two-thirds of a season, he helped us win a lot of games. Without his all-star first half of the season, we couldn’t have made the trade for Grife and Ciccio, which we had to make.

“I like Darian; he’s a good young man. I felt strongly that he was a guy we needed to give a ring to.”

Pinto made the presentation long before fans entered the ballpark, so as not to interfere with the Wild Things’ pregame ceremonies.

“They gave me the ring and said I will always be a part of the organization,” Sandford recalled. “This ring is much appreciated. That was a real classy thing to do, but that’s how the organization is run in Southern Illinois.”

Sandford didn’t exactly show much gratitude to the Miners during Friday’s 6-4 win by the Wild Things. He had a bunt single in the second inning and scored on C.J. Beatty’s two-run double. In the fifth, Sandford reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and third, and then put a charge in through chilled crowd by stealing home, giving the Wild Things a 6-1 lead.

After swiping his way to third base, Sandford broke for home when Miners relief pitcher Dayne Quist, a left-hander, made a pickoff throw to first base. Sandford easily beat the throw to home plate from first baseman Jason Ganek.

“The count was 0-2, and I told myself that if I see the pitcher’s leg go toward first base, then I’m flying toward home plate and going to score,” Sandford said of his daring move. “As soon as he raised his leg, I took off.”

Sandford has been taking off often again this year. He’s already ahead of his record-setting pace for stolen bases. He leads the league with 10 steals, though he’s off to a slow start at the plate, batting only .200.

That Sandford would be back with Washington this year wasn’t a certainty. He was signed in March by the Chicago White Sox, who wanted to try him at second base. Sandford was drafted in 2010 by Kansas City as a second baseman out of Park University, and it was in the Royals’ system that he was switched to center field to take advantage of his blazing speed.

Sandford was released by the White Sox late in spring training and re-signed by the Wild Things, giving Washington a returning starter at all three outfield positions, though he did get some time at second base during Frontier League spring training.

“I played second base in college, but I just want to win,” Sandford said. “We want other teams to dislike coming to Washington and think winning only one game in a series here is good.”