KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona sophomore Clarence Farmer sports a different kind of uniform Thursday. Farmer, a running back on the football team, practiced with the baseball team this week.

One sport not enough for Farmer, Jones

Clarence Farmer knows baseball.

While he may not be Bo Jackson yet, sophomore running back Clarence Farmer practiced with the baseball team this week in an attempt to become a rare dual-sport athlete on the UA campus.

Farmer has played baseball since the age of five and lettered four years at Booker T. Washington in Houston. He later quit to concentrate on football for Arizona.

In his two-year collegiate career, the Texas native compiled 1,895 rushing yards and last year led the Pacific 10 Conference in rushing.

But his love for baseball and his good friend Sean Jones, who was a redshirt fullback on the football team this season, made it impossible for him to forget about baseball.

"Sean talked me into (baseball)," he said. "We've known each other through high school and played together in Little League."

Jones grew up in the same city as Farmer but went to nearby North Shore High School. The two kept in touch and competed against each other, but it was Jones who initially wanted to try out for the team.

"I just came out to baseball practice one day to see if I could do it," he said.

He and Farmer are expected to bring much-needed muscle and speed to the lineup.

"I'm excited for them," sophomore pitcher Joe Little said. "Both are going to help us out in power and baserunning."

Farmer is an outfielder and Jones an infielder.

Before Wednesday's practice, the team received their season schedules. But they were missing something important.

The schedules listed only the games' dates, times, and places, without the opponents.

"(Head Coach Andy) Lopez says that nobody on our schedule can beat us because it doesn't matter who we play," freshman catcher John Hardy said.

Little agreed.

"It sends a message. That's a whole new mentality - we really don't care who we play," he said.

Lopez stressed the new attitude to his team throughout the week's practices.

He mainly explained the difference between "hitting" and "offense." "Hitting" is swinging away while "offense" is the execution of bunts, steals, hit-and-runs and other plays, Lopez said.

The team will take a "small ball" approach, relying heavily on pitching, speed and defense instead of the long ball.

"Execution is opportunity that meets preparation," Little said. "You can win games by executing but not solely on offense. We need to be both."

Today the team will divide up into two teams for an intersquad game similar to the fall ball scrimmages. The team will also play on Saturday followed by an off day on Sunday. Regular practices resume on Monday with another set of weekend intersquad games before the season starts on Jan. 25.

The game today begins at 3 p.m. and Saturday's at 1 p.m. Both are at Sancet Field.