The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in D1baseball.com and was written by Walter Villa. Click HERE for the full article.

When Kai Moody was an elementary-school kid playing baseball in Japan, he adhered to a tradition:

If your uniform isn't dirty after practice, dive into the mud.

"You don't want to be the only one with a clean jersey at the end of the day," Moody said.

One decade-plus later, Moody still loves getting dirty, especially if the result is a double, a steal or a diving catch.

Last year, the California State Northridge Matadors star won the Big West Conference batting title, hitting .393 with 10 doubles, one homer and 10 steals in 12 attempts.

Defensively, Moody primarily played second base and left field last year. But when he was needed for three games at first base, he did that, too, despite never having played that position previously.

The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in D1baseball.com and was written by Walter Villa. Click HERE for the full article.